Rose Tyler is Dying
by sisneyace
Summary: Everyone knows that the Doctor left Rose behind in the parallel universe so she could live out her life happily and safe but what if he made a mistake. What if the universe he left her in was trying to kill her? Would he go back to save her? Could he make it even if he wanted too? I am not great at summaries, so take a look inside and tell me what you think.
1. Chapter 1

Rose Tyler is Dying

Rose Tyler was dying.

In all the universes there was only one unique creation, there were thousand if not millions of copies of every other thing in the uncountable universes but there was only one Rose Tyler and she was dying.

The universe was rejecting her.

This world, this universe was not hers and she did not belong, she had nothing to anchor her to this new world. She had tried so hard to make it home but now would become her grave.

The Doctor had left her on a windswept beach, to lead a happy ordinary life, but now Rose Tyler was dying.

She had been happy, so fantastically happy with her metacrisis Doctor. They had begun to build a real life together, but then in one horrific moment in time, everything was gone and Rose was alone again.

In the days that followed she wished that her own life would end, it was only the promise that she had once made to her first Doctor, that she was able to pull herself out of the blackness of her sorrow. She trained hard and quickly became the Commander of the elite field team of Torchwood and defended her new Earth.

Slowly the years passed, and while she wasn't the bubbly girl that the Doctor first showed the stars to, she was content. She didn't allow herself to dwell on the pain that would visit her in her dreams, but made herself live each day to its fullest.

But she was dying, slowly at first, a bruise that wouldn't seem to heal, headaches that would last for days.

The doctors at Torchwood ran tests but could not find anything wrong with her. They recommended a holiday and less stress.

Rose could only laugh at the idea of taking a holiday as it seemed that this Earth was even more jeopardy prone then she ever was. But she did try to relieve her stress by learning to play the piano, something that she always wanted to do but her mum couldn't afford when she was a child. Rose found that she was rather good at it and spent many nights playing when nightmares kept her from sleep.

Everything came to a head on an ordinary Monday afternoon in the middle of December. Overnight London had turned into a winter wonderland that made travel a real hassle for her team as they were looking for a gang of bank robbers who were using off world blasters to rob banks. Her team had managed to track them to their hideout in an old warehouse. During the brief firefight, she had been nicked in the arm by a stray leaser bolt when she had jumped to pull one of her team members out of the line of fire. At first she barely even felt the pain, but as she was directing her team the pain became intense and she began to feel wobbly and faint.

"Commander, your arm!" Thomas her second in command yelled, pointing at her.

"It's just a nick nothing to it," she said, brushing him off and pointing to the group of sullen humans sitting on the ground in front of her, "round up the prisoners and make sure you find out where they got these damm guns from. I am sick and tired enouth, yeah, of being shot at by aliens much less humans."

"Commander you need to sit down and let me look at your arm you seem to be losing a lot of blood." Lydia the team field medic said.

"Just a nick, I said"

"Even so you are bleeding all over the crime scene and you need to let me do my job." Lydia asserted.

"Fine, field dress it and lets go" Rose said as she sat on bit of convenient rubble.

Once she sat down the weakness she had been fighting back hit her with force and she swayed slightly.

The medic noticed that Rose's face was very pale and that she seemed to be sweating a quick scan showed that her heart rate going double time and that her temperature was dropping, all signs of shock. Lydia used her laser to cut away the arm of Rose's uniform to get to the wound. At first glance it was as Rose had insisted just a nick, but her blood wasn't clotting and it kept bleeding. She knew that it had been about an hour since Rose had been shot and by the amount of blood that was flowing from the wound, Rose had lost to much blood. She had to stop the bleeding before the Commander went into complete shock. Lydia changed the setting on her leaser to cauterize the wound, "this might hurt a bit, Commander" she said as she began.

Rose didn't say a word. She just sat looking out into nothing, a slightly confused look on her face. She knew what she was looking at was impossibility but she couldn't help but smile, a real genuine smile, tongue in tooth that lite up her face from inside out. A smile that had once made a Doctor's two hearts skip a beat.

"Commander, Commander!" Lydia shouted as Rose slipped down the rubble and hit the ground.

Rose could hear the frantic voices of her team around her. Her breath was labored and it came is short gasps, she could feel the pain in her chest as her heart struggled to beat. But she didn't care, all she wanted to do was look at what couldn't be there and smile. Tears flowed and she fought the waves a blackness that were tugging her eyes closed.

"Just one more moment" she thought, "and I'll give in. Just one more minute of this fantastic moment and I will go into the darkness happy."

Lydia worked franticly over Rose; the wound wouldn't close it kept bleeding. Rose's life was flowing out of a wound that was barely two inches long and less then half an inch deep. The medic screamed for help.

"Thomas, help me put pressure here, we have got to slow the blood down. Somebody call for transport, we have to get her to medical she needs a transfusion."

Dammit, this shouldn't be happening it was just a nick. She had seen Rose get hit with more serious wounds and bounce it off like it was nothing. What the hell was going on?

The scanner went crazy and Lydia realized that Rose was going into cardiac arrest. Lydia rolled Rose on her back, and began CPR.

Rose was in pain, the pain was overwhelming, and the darkness seemed like a wonderful peaceful place to go. She thought about just giving into it but even as she thought it, she fought it. In the darkness she knew that the vision in front of her would not be there. So she held on for just a moment more, her eyes never wavering, all of the love she had shining like a sun though them.

Rose Tyler was dying. The universe didn't recognize her. So it sought to destroy her. Her heart stopped beating.

Rose Tyler was dead.

In another universe, the TARDIS awoke from its doze. It was TIME. The MOMENT was at hand. Every seed that she had planted in time would have to now bear fruit. Her beloved Thief would be feel pain again and again but if everything worked out all the pain would be a dim memory and joy would be unsurpassable. If they failed then this universe was dead and perhaps others would die as well. She had been gathering energy for this moment for eons, hiding it from her thief, and now it would take every bit to do what needed to be done. TARDIS hummed to herself as she sent messages though time, the time for the gathering was at hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a few words of thanks everyone that took the time to read, review, and favorite my story.**

**I watched Doctor Who since I was a kid, hiding behind my hands during the scary parts. **

**I didn't watch it for many years until I happened to catch a old rerun of the 9th Doctor. Rose, the Doctor and Jack, hooked me in and didn't let go until that terrible moment where he left her on the beach with his clone. Broke my heart.**

**Couldn't watch another episode for years. Now with all the Doctor Who 50th anniversary at hand and Doctor Who everywhere, it started me thinking about this story. **

**I hope you enjoy. **

**I don't think this needs saying but I don't own Doctor Who, BBC does. If I owned it I would have pawned off the Crown Jewels in order to pay to keep Billie Piper as Rose and the 9th Doctor around much longer. **

**Chapter 2**

Doctor

It was night, well it was night somewhere, he supposed, not on his wonderful ship but somewhere.

He had been traveling around by himself for a long spot of time, when Martha had called him asking if he minded taking her to that bazaar on New Earth, she remembered seeing a something that would be perfect for Mickey there for his birthday. She wanted it to be a surprise.

Not having anything pressing to do he picked her up and then proceeded to get them almost killed by landing in the middle of a pitched battle during the American Civil War

Afterward, Martha had not been happy with him. But after managing to not kill her and taking her to the bazaar and paying for the thing that she wanted to give Mickey, her attitude improved.

She decided to take a nap and try healing up a bit before having him drop her off at home just 20 minutes after she left.

The Doctor never understood why all his human friends kept sleeping their lives away. He didn't need more then an hour a two a week and he was in top condition.

"Liar" the TARDIS whispered into his mind.

"I am not" he thought to her, "I am okay with just a few hours of sleep a week or two."

"You don't sleep, because you don't want to dream."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in the jump chair. He didn't want to talk about dreams. He hated dreaming. They were never pleasant. They were always of things he couldn't change, people he had killed himself or had been killed because of him, and her. His pink and yellow girl, his one true….no must not think of it. Maybe he should try fixing the TARDIS and seeing if he pounded on the something he could get it to go faster.

"No, Thief no pounding now I am busy."

The Doctor was astounded and lets face it that didn't happen to a Time Lord often anymore and he jumped to his feet in shock.

Martha Jones came flying out of her room, pulling on her jacket.

"Doctor, did you hear that?" she asked looking at the center consol of the TARDIS.

"Depends, what did you hear?"

"No, Thief no pounding now I am busy."

The Doctor shook his head up and down and said "then yes, I heard that."

Martha rolled her eyes in frustration "well then who said it?"

"Well if it wasn't you and it wasn't me then it must be the only other being here."

"Who?"

"You know Martha for a doctor you are surprisingly dense sometimes."

Martha counted to five before answering "and you Doctor for a 2000 year old Time Lord are a rude bugger."

"Oi only 912 thank you very much. Not even middle aged for a Time Lord and I might add I am really something to look at in this body." he said preening and running his hand though his fabulous hair.

Martha couldn't hold her temper in and she shouted at him to stop changing the subject and tell her who else was in the ship.

"Nobody"

"Then who said that?"

"The TARDIS of course." he said as it was as plain as the nose on her face.

"Have you gone mad? Or have you been tinkering on the ship and added a voice?"

The Doctor sighed 'really Martha how many times do I have to explain that the TARDIS is more then a ship, she is a being, alive with her own mind. Although until now she has always chosen to speak to me in my mind rather then a voice. Very interesting".

Suddenly the TARDIS began to shake violently hurling them both to the floor. Wrenching sounds of gears groaning under the grates filled the control room as the TARDIS seemed to spin out of control.

As suddenly as it began it stopped and all was silent.

"You, alright?" he asked as he got to his feet. He held his hand out to Martha expecting help her up but she was ignoring him completely and was instead looking behind him.

"I say, are you okay?" the Doctor said getting concerned as she kept ignoring him.

"Um, Doctor we aren't alone here anymore."

"What?"

"Look behind you." she said pointing.

The Doctor turned around and he saw but he didn't believe his eyes, so he closed them and opened them again.

There in the control room stood his past.

Captain Jack spoke first.

"Doctor, you know I love coming with you on these little trips but you know you should ask before you just pull me aboard, I was just getting ready to have a little fun with a beautiful something." he said with a little wink.

"Oi Martha, watcha doing with him again? I thought you said you were going shopping." Mickey said

"Um, I did go shopping. I needed something from a market far away he gave me a lift." she said with a little smile "don't be mad, I wanted to get you something nice for your birthday.' She made her way over to him and took his hand. "You're not mad are you?"

"No, not really but you shouldn't go jumping around with him, he tends to try steal my best girl and then go misplacing them."

Martha kissed his cheek, "don't worry about that babe, not this girl.'

The two of them made goggle eyes at each other until there was a snicker from the redheaded woman.

"You two need to get a room" Donna said arms folded across her chest, "and you Doctor you can't just jerk me around like this. First you say you need some time to yourself and drop me off to visit my family and before I even get to drink a decent cup of tea, you pull me back on this ship. You really need to make up your mind."

"I would have to agree with her, Doctor, you used to at least ask people to join you not just jerk them though space."

"I assure you Sarah Jane that I had nothing to do with this." the Doctor in the brown coat said.

"Then how did this happen?" Mickey asked.

A thick northern accent cut in "You're the Doctor? A pretty boy? I regenerate at some point into a pretty boy? Rose must love that."

Every head turned to the man that had stood silent in the shadows as he walked into the light there were gasps of confusion.

He wore a black leather jacket and his eyes were blue and full of regret and pain.

Jack looked from one Doctor to the other. Holy crap, how does this happen and what does it mean.

The 10th Doctor looked at his old self and wondered again how she had ever decided to come along on adventures with a man that looked that scarred and sad. How had she broken down the walls? Even as the thoughts formed he shut them down, it doesn't do to think about her.

The 9th Doctor looked at his future and wondered what Rose thought of him. Did he make her happy? He was after all a pretty boy and his girl liked them pretty. He wasn't sure how he felt about the hair though. He figured that since Mickey seemed to know this Doctor that it must be his next regeneration and he hoped that it hadn't scared Rose too much.

"So, where is Rose? Sleeping? Girl sleeps her life away if you let her.' he said looking around with a grin.

The redheaded lady drew in a shocked breath and the girl Mickey was holding looked at the other Doctor anxiously. And no one said a word.

Something was not right, everyone was looking at his future self with concern and sorrow. Only Mickey looked at the other Doctor with a touch of anger on his face.

"Jack" the 9th Doctor said his voice low and menacing "do you know where Rose is?"

"Um, Doctor" Jack began as both Doctors turned to look at him. "Ugh, Leather Coat Doctor, you need to remain calm."

"Where is ROSE!" the 9th Doctor exploded. His eyes were wild and his hands were shaking.

He took a step towards the 10th Doctor, hands outstretched as if to grab him when the TARDIS spoke again.

"Rose Tyler is dying"

The 9th Doctor spun around to stare at the center console of the TARDIS, shock and pain on his face.

"Rose Tyler is dying" repeated the TARDIS

The words brought him to his knees, tears rolled down his face.

"No, no, where is SHE." he shouted at the TARDIS

Jack had lived so long and had felt pain and heartbreak before so many times but nothing he had felt or seen could compare to the rawness of the pain in the voice of the Doctor kneeling on the floor. He glanced over at the current Doctor and he had to look away from the naked pain in the Time Lord's face.

Jack knew better then anyone what Rose truly meant to the Doctor on his knees. He had witnessed her sweet smile tear down walls of pain. Rose's easy acceptance of his mood swings and manic energy, and her ability to soothe with the simple act of holding his hand, Jack knew without a doubt that they were meant to be. He had been a witness to their sweet dance and had hoped that they would have their happiness as a reward for all the Doctor had done for the universe. When the other Doctor and he had met again and he found out what had happened to Rose, Jack came to the conclusion that sometimes the universe was a real bitch.

The 9th Doctor's mind was in chaos. He had just had a fight with Rose, one of their many. He was mad that she had wondered off again and almost gotten herself killed. Didn't she know how fragile she was, his pink and yellow girl? His whole being was tied in her if something happened to her; he knew he would lose what sanity that she had brought back to his life. She ran to her room after he had called her a stupid ape. Jack had looked at him like he had lost his mind and told him he was real lady killer and walked down the hall to his own room.

The Doctor regretted his harshness as soon as the words fell out of his mouth. He wondered if this time would be the time she would come out of her room with her bag and demand to be taken back home. He sat in the jump chair and waited for what seemed like eternity before she came back. She had a shower and changed into her pajamas. She smelled like her namesake and strawberries. He did not speak but just opened his arms and she had willingly walked into them. As they hugged, she whispered she was sorry. He told her she wasn't a stupid ape at all, just jeopardy prone. She had laughed, giving him one of her tongue in teeth smiles that never failed to make both his hearts skip a beat, and said he was most likely right, he agreed since he was after all, a genius Time Lord. He held her and marveled that this young woman would even let him touch her, much less snuggle deeply in his arms. He had committed genocide on his own people, and even knowing that she embraced him. He was humbled by her. Rose was exhausted and she fell asleep in his arms. He held her for a long time before taking her to her room and tucking her into bed. He lightly brushed his lips across her cheek before going back to the control room to wait for his girl to wake up for the next adventure.

Now he was here. In the hell that he had feared would happen. Rose dying, Rose in danger, Rose somewhere he couldn't find her. Anger rose in him anger towards himself and at the other Doctor in the room. He had heard Mickey saying that that Doctor left his best girl somewhere. He would kill him. After he found where he left her he would kill him and he would tear this timeline apart looking for her.

The Oncoming Storm rose from the floor. He was soldier in this body, he was a man made in the fires of battle and blood. He would find his girl and he would protect the last thing he truly cared about even if it cost the universe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again to all of you that have left reviews, favorite, and are following me. I can't tell you how grateful and humbled by all of you. A special thank you to royslady51 who pointed that I used the wrong word, I meant ****_menacing_**** as in threatening rather then ****_mincing _****as in dainty. When I went back a reread it, I couldn't help but laugh because it really changed the tone of the moment. **

**If anyone else sees any mistake like the one above please let me know, I don't have a Beta so I do my own writing and editing (not always a good thingJ) **

**Also to those that asked, I have not seen the 50****th**** ep. yet, I am waiting until I am done with this story. **

**I hope that I am not confusing anyone with my jumping around from one universe to the other. I will try to update at least every other day. **

**For those of you wondering I don't own Doctor Who because if I did the Doctor and Rose would have a pack a kids by now. **

**I hope you all enjoy….review please….thank you….**

Rose

She became aware slowly. She had a sense of being happy and at peace. She knew that could only mean one thing; she had been dreaming. Dreams were not good for her sanity. She was familiar with waking up screaming, her heart beating in terror and her sheets soaked in sweat. Nightmares could be dealt with, but it was other dreams that she dreaded more. Dreams of impossible things, or memories of all that she had held and then lost. Those sweet dreams that filled her with happiness in the first moments when she woke only to turn into pain and emptiness when she realized that it was just that, a dream.. In those short moments the walls she had carefully built around her broken heart threatened to shatter. Those dreams brought pain and hopelessness to her everyday life. Someday she feared she would just give into the darkness instead of fighting it and that terrified her. Unfortunately it seemed that this was going to be one of those mornings. She felt warm and safe and loved. The wave of hopelessness came as it always did and she opened her eyes.

"Commander, Commander can you hear me?"

Rose came to in a white hospital room. In the background there were the sounds of beeping and hissing of medical equipment.

"Commander Tyler, can you hear me?"

"Ger, of course I can hear you, you are shouting in my ear, yeah." Rose mumbled as she struggled to sit up.

"Don't move you are hooked to an IV and monitors" said Lydia, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder to keep her still.

"What happened?" asked Rose wincing at the rough croak of her voice.

"You died." Lydia said her voice shaking "I didn't know if you would come back. It took us nearly five minutes to get your heart to start again and then you crashed in the zeppelin on the way back to medical. It was touch and go for about 24 hours."

Rose closed her eyes and let Lydia's words sink in. She had died. She wondered if it would not have been kinder if they had just let her go, she was so tired of life sometimes.

_"No, Rose! You promised."_

Rose's eyes snapped open and she jerked up in bed, detaching wires, causing the monitor to start beeping shrilly.

'Commander, please you need to stay still." Lydia protested trying to keep Rose still.

"Did you hear that?" Rose demanded her eyes wildly searching the room.

"Hear what?" asked Lydia

"His voice, I swear I heard his voice" Rose said her voice breaking when she saw nothing.

Lydia stared in shock at her Commander. This woman was a legend in Torchwood. Her no nonsense attitude and absolute fearlessness in the face of imminent death made her name feared by enemies both on earth and off. She had saved the lives of countless people and never seemed to flinch from making the hard choices. Her team nicknamed her "Commander Thorn" because they all felt that "Rose" was too soft of a name for such a woman.

But there she was, the hard ass always in control Commander Thorn, eyes full of tears and confusion and so much pain. The pain was etched in every line of her body making Lydia's breath catch and she had to take a step back.

"I thought I heard him. Just for a moment, just a moment" Rose whispered, her eyes meeting Lydia's.

"I am sorry Commander there is no one here but you and I"

Rose closed her eyes and lay back down defeated.

"Commander, are you alright." Lydia asked alarmed at the look of defeat on Rose's face.

"I am okay Lydia, most likely hallucinating from all the drugs and such."

Rose opened her eyes again and smiled slightly at her medic. "Thank you for saving my life. I should have listened to you sooner instead of making your job difficult."

"Just doing my job, as you trained me to" Lydia said

"You did well and I thank you again."

"You are welcome, Commander it was my honor. After all you wouldn't have gotten shot if you had not pulled me out of the line of fire. If you are ok to be alone, I will contact Director Tyler. He and your mother went home earlier this morning. They had been here for the last three days, and the Director made your mother go home to rest."

"Three days?!" Rose exclaimed "I thought you said 24 hours"

"Yes, Commander you were on the edge of death for nearly 24 hours and afterwards in a coma for the last three days."

"What in hell did they shoot me with? It looked like an ordinary blaster. Was it something else? Mark Lucas got shot as well in the leg. What is his status and the status of the rest of the team?" Rose asked struggling to sit up. "And for love of all that is good, make that infernal machine stop beeping."

Lydia ran over to the offending machine and turned it off. Facing the Commander again she was relieved to see that "Commander Thorn" was back and in total control. The hurt girl was gone and Lydia wondered if she had been there at all. She then noticed that the Commander had her hurry up or else face on, making Lydia stand straight at attention to give her report.

"Mark Lucas's wound was checked and healed with minimal trouble and the team reported no other injuries. It is still not clear as to why your small wound caused you to bleed out so quickly. The blasters were just average laser guns. The Director and Torchwood scientists are working on solving the problem now."

Rose nodded her approval. "Alright, make sure you get me the written reports of all tests done. Hold off calling the Director for a bit so they can get some rest and you go on and rest too. You look tired."

"Thank you ma'am but the Director told me to call as soon as you woke up." Lydia stated.

"As the Director is not in the building and I am, I am in charge and I am ordering you to go rest, without talking to anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Commander" Lydia said standing even straighter.

"Well then what are you waiting for? Dismissed."

Lydia gave her commander a smart salute, pivoted, and marched out of the room without looking back.

Rose sighed and lay back down. Lydia was a great medic and soldier and Rose _was_ grateful that she had managed to save her life even if she had a moment of weakness and had wished otherwise. Rose knew she would alway choose life. She had after all, made a promise once upon a time.

Rose didn't let herself linger on the fact that she had thought she heard a voice. Thinking about it would make it hurt again. She had almost lost it in front of Lydia and that would never do. Commander Thorn after all was supposed to be a real hard ass.

A few hours later her mother, the original hard ass, was giving her hell.

"I don't know what to say to you. You are just a magnet for trouble aren't you? Why can't you settle down and take a desk job like Pete? Worry me half to death you do. Nearly as bad as when you would gallivant around with the Doc.." Jackie stopped in mid-rant "Oh Rose darling I am sorry I didn't mean to…" she said biting her lip.

"It's okay mum" Rose said shaking her head and smiling lightly "I am okay, everything is fine."

Jackie looked at her beautiful daughter and in her mind cursed the Doctor to every Hell in every universe. Her child was in so much pain that it hurt Jackie to even look at her at times.

Her brave daughter who tried to hide her pain from everyone, even her mother, but Jackie knew that Rose hadn't smiled in nearly two years. Oh, she would sometimes smile, a half smile like the one she wore now, or a little giggle for Tony but not a Rose smile. The smile that had made every hour of backbreaking labor at dead in jobs worth it back when they lived hand to mouth in the Estates.

Rose lived, she fought, and she saved lives, but her daughter wasn't happy. And Jackie was afraid that there wasn't anything in this universe that could ever make her girl smile again.

Jackie hugged Rose close and whispered in her hair "I was so scared, you were so still and pale. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to my Rose."

Rose hugged her mom back "I am sorry I scared you mom but I'm fine, see all better" she said pointing at her arm, "not even so much as scar left."

"But what about all the scars you carry inside? When was the last time you let me even hug you like this?" thought Jackie.

Jackie pulled back a little and tucked a bit of Rose's hair behind her ear.

"Well, when the doctors say you can leave here, you're coming home with me a few days to rest."

Rose gently pulled out of her mom's arms, putting some space between them.

"I don't think so Mum. I've got tons to do, reports and all. And besides I am more comfortable in my own bed."

"Rose, I want you to come home and stay with me a few days and let me look after you, you nearly died, you need rest and looking after."

"I'll come and spend the afternoon with you and Tony in a few days, yeah. Maybe we can all have dinner together." Rose said her voice firm

Jackie knew that voice, it was Rose's commander voice, the hard unemotional voice that she had developed in this universe and Jackie once again cursed the Doctor.

"Fine, fine if that's the way you want it. By all means you shouldn't feel like you need to spend time with your mother after you scare the life out of her by laying like a corpse in that bed for nearly four days. I mean I only sat by your side crying nearly the entire time but really you shouldn't feel the least bit of guilt" Jackie said waving her hands dramatically around.

"Thank you for understanding mum' Rose said calmly "I know you understand how much I need my privacy at night".

Jackie shoulders fell in defeat, Commander Thorn wasn't someone she could guilt into doing what she wanted.

"Fine then, you are to come early on Saturday morning, have lunch and dinner with your family. Is that understood?"

"Yes, mum"

"Right then. Shouldn't' you be resting in bed instead of being up and about?"

"The doctors said that I am fine now, full recovery. And I don't want to lay about all day. Already been in bed too long as it is." Rose said as she pulled her black uniform t-shirt over her head.

"Really, Rose I wish you would wear some of the clothes I brought you instead of all that black." Jackie said pointing at the bulging shopping bag on the chair.

"Thank you but you really shouldn't keep buying me clothes; I have too much as it is."

"It's all black, and so manly, you used to love colors, look at this adorable pink sweater. You always look smashing in pink." Jackie said holding it up.

Rose's breath caught in her throat as a memory of John's voice hit her.

_"Happy Birthday, Rose" John said handing her a package that was very obviously wrapped by him. _

_"Thank you, nice job on the wrapping by the way" she said cheekily, quickly pulling it out of reach when he made like he was going to take it back._

_She opened it and inside there was a beautiful gold necklace with a pale pink gem shaped like rose. _

_"Oh, my it's beautiful" Rose whispered, spellbound by delicate gem._

_"I made it myself, with some dust from a meteor that I found in storage at Torchwood. It reminds me of you because it looks like its fragile, like glass, but it's a thousand times stronger then earth's diamond. And," he said taking it from her hand and holding it to the light, "under the right conditions it sparkles like your eyes". He walked behind her and gently brushed her hair aside and hooked the necklace around her. He dropped a lingering kiss on the back of neck and turned her to face him. _

_"Do you like it?" he asked heart in his eyes._

_"I love it." Rose said and she leaned up and kissed him. _

_"And I love you" _

_John smiled "I love you too, my darling Rose." And he lowered his head and kissed his girl. _

_Later that night with moonlight shining down on them, John looked at his Rose. She looked like a goddess in the moonlight, laying in his arms with nothing on but the necklace that he had made her. _

_"What are you grinning at, you mad man?" Rose said smiling up at him_

_"Nothing, just thinking that I am glad I got the color of the gem right" he said, running his finger along pendent that lay between her breasts. _

_"You always look smashing in pink you know, especially" he murmured leaning down to put his lips where his finger had been "when you are wearing nothing but your lovely pink skin." He kissed her, calling her his lovely pink and yellow girl. _

Rose put a hand over her mouth to keep the cry from escaping her soul as her mom rattled on behind her.

"Rose, Rose are you listening to me?" Jackie said

"Um, yes mother I am" Rose said trying to keep her voice steady.

"No, you are not. Whatever dear, I don't know why I even bother" Jackie sighed stuffing the sweater back into the bag.

"If you want to dress like a man in all that black and blue then go right ahead, its your life."

Rose closed her eyes briefly and counted to three. "I know you mean well mom, but really I am happier in these clothes, they are comfortable and serviceable. Besides I can't go saving the world in a pink sweater."

Jackie snorted but didn't say anything else.

Rose kept her back to her mother as she tried to control her emotions.

"Mom do you think you could ask someone for something to eat. I'm starving; I really could use a ham sandwich or something."

"Oh, of course dear, should have thought of it myself. I'll just nip right out and run one down for you." Jackie said and left.

A moment passed and then another. A tear slipped out and then another, Rose fought with herself to keep them contained but everything was too built up inside her.

The tears kept coming. Faster now…a sob almost escaped, and Rose put her hand tightly over her mouth to keep them in.

She counted to ten then to twenty, forcing herself to breath slowly and steadily.

"I am in control, I am in control", she chanted it to herself, "I will not give in to this. I am in control".

Rose's head fell back and she stared at the ceiling breathing deeply and pushed all of her sadness down together with the memory. She was stronger then this. She would not let her emotions control her waking hours. She was Rose Tyler. She danced on the razor edge of sanity and darkness daily and won everytime.

A few minutes later, she ate the food that Jackie brought back and chatted about nothing with her mother. Nothing in her manner suggested that she had just danced along the edge of sanity and had nearly tipped over into the blackness. Because she was Rose Tyler and she was fantastic and brilliant.


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope that all of you that celebrate Thanksgiving, had a great day. And if you don't well I still hope that you had a great day. Here are chapters four and five. I would have gotten them up sooner but Mickey turned out to be very long winded. **

**Thank you again to all of you that have read my story. **

**Please let me know what you think. **

**I don't own Doctor Who, BBC does dang it.**

Doctor

_The Oncoming Storm rose from the floor. He was soldier in this body, he was a man made in the fires of battle and blood. He would find his girl and he would protect the last thing he truly cared about even if it cost the universe. _

Ten saw Nine coming. He saw the look on his face and he knew what was about to happen. Wouldn't he do the same if the roles were reversed? Ten stood and welcomed the pain that was heading his way. Anything to take his mind off what the TARDIS had said. He left her there, tore out his own hearts to give her the life that he thought she needed and now this. Yes, he welcomed the pain.

Jack jumped in front of the Leather Coat Doctor trying to stop him. Next thing Jack knew he was sailing in the air and landing at the redhead's feet.

Nine was beyond caring about anyone, all his focus was on his future self. His anger and pain needed an outlet. He grabbed him by the throat and drew back his arm and hit the other Doctor in his pretty face, taking satisfaction of watching his head snap back and blood pour from his nose.

"Stop it, you big eared crazed man!" Donna yelled running towards the fighting Doctors.

Jack managed to grab her before she got too close.

"Ma'm trust me, you don't want to get near them, you might get in the crosshairs." Jack said with a rueful grin.

"You get your hands off me, you great oaf, that is my friend that he is beating, I can't just let it happen." Donna said as she tried to wiggle out of Jack's arms.

"It's for you own safety that I am holding you but if you keep wiggling around like that I might get some interesting ideas, and this really isn't the time or place" said Jack with a wink and smile.

"Why you…" Donna sputtered and slapped Jack as hard as she could.

Nine pulled back his arm to hit the pretty boy again, when he heard Sarah Jane yelling at him.

"Doctor no, you have to stop. This is not what Rose would want you to do. She loved him, and you, she loved both of you."

Nine looked at Sarah Jane, his eyes searching, trying to judge if she told the truth.

"She loves me?" he said in disbelief

"Yes, Doctor she loves you, and what you will become. Rose and I talked about it when we met. She spoke of meeting you and how she felt that she came alive because of you. She spoke of her love for her Doctor."

Nine turned and looked his future self who lay crumpled on the floor at his feet.

"Show me" he said pulling Ten to his feet and placing his hands on each side of his head "show me everything"

Ten didn't fight him but opened up his mind wide, letting his past see everything.

Nine saw Rose in his other's mind. He saw Rose and him running, hand in hand in adventure after adventure. He saw her "die" on the Satellite 5. Felt the overwhelming joy at seeing her alive, and the bone freezing terror at her being in the clutches of the Daleks. He saw himself sending her away in the TARDIS to protect her, he saw her coming back to save him. She was beautiful, all of TIME running in her. He saw himself kissing her to save her life. He understood now it was the love he had for Rose that had caused him to regenerate into this pretty boy, someone that he hoped she would love in return.

He saw their adventures together, good times and bad. Felt Pretty Doctor's fear of losing her to time. Saw him hiding from the feelings he had for her, and trying to ignore the feelings he knew she had for him. Felt the pain of losing her to the other universe. Saw him burn up a sun to say goodbye, only to take the coward's way out by not saying the words that needed to be said. Nine felt the loneliness and pain of the pushing forward with life without Rose. Then he felt the surge of pure joy of seeing her again, running towards him like an angel, his own miracle. Then he saw the beach, saw her tears and heard his words.

"You fool, you stupid coward," Nine shouted as he shoved Ten away from him, "even after all this time, we are still a coward."

"What would you have me do? Her time is short. Did you want me to drag her all over time, watch her grow old and die?" Ten choked out tears falling down his battered face.

"She said she loved you. You had her love in your hand and you walked away. You couldn't even tell her. She deserved to hear it from us not that clone."

"I gave her the chance to live with her family and with part of us. He is us, a part of us to love Rose, like she deserved to be loved." Ten said "I did what I thought was right for Rose."

"Oi, you lying prat" Mickey said, "that's not true at all, you did what comes easy to you. You left her behind because you didn't want to get hurt."

Everyone in the TARDIS turned to stare at Mickey.

Martha laid her hand on Mickey's shoulder and shook her head at him. Mickey smiled gently at her and said "I am sorry love, but it needs to be said, I've held it in long enough". He stepped away from her and walked towards to the two Doctors, the anger that he felt at them rising to the surface.

"You left her there in that universe because you couldn't face the fact the she is human and would die someday. YOU couldn't handle what might happen. You never asked her what she wanted. Even though it broke her heart to think of leaving her family behind and never seeing them again, she still worked like a madwoman on trying to get back to you and what were you doing? Off on adventures with Martha and Donna." Mickey anger came spilling out, his words harsh and sharp.

"Did you even try? Did you Doctor? No, you didn't, you just took your misery out on Martha because she wasn't Rose"

"I didn't.." Ten started to say looking at Martha

"Shut your face, yeah" Mickey said "you always talk too much, now you are going to listen. You didn't even try to get to her, but she did. Every waking minute that she was trapped there she spent trying to find a way back to you. Did you know that while she was there she got her A levels, asked Pete for private tutors so she could learn advance sciences. You didn't know that, did you, and you know why you didn't know, because you never asked me. I waited for you to ask me, but you never did. You just acted like she didn't exist anymore. But she does, Rose Tyler exists and you never deserved her."

"I..I.."

"I said shut your face I am not done. You know she didn't talk for a week after she was sucked in. Didn't speak, didn't eat, just stared at nothing. Pete and Jackie mad crazy with worry. Then one day Jackie calls me frantic because she can't find Rose. She had disappeared. We tore London apart trying to find her. Do you know where she was?" Mickey asked poking the Ten in the chest "DO YOU?"

Ten shook his head "no, where was she?" he whispered

"I found her in that damm white room, hmm. Her hands covered in blood and skin. She was trying to dig though the concrete wall with her bare hands. She was making this sound, yeah.." Mickey paused, visible struggling to keep control. He took a deep breath and looked into the Doctors eyes, damming him. "She was making a sound like a wounded animal, keening and choking on her tears. I tried to drag her away from the wall and she fought me, I didn't want to hurt her so I let her go, she kept digging at the wall. Than all of a sudden she just broke, it was like watching a light burn out. She collapsed on the floor and she cried." Tears ran down his face and he swiped at them with his hand.

"She kept screaming for you. Begging you to come back, begging me to find you. I held her until she cried herself out" Mickey paused, closing his eyes memories washing over him.

"Do you know what it was like growing up in the Estates?" he asked, "It was hell, and in hell, dreamers aren't welcome. Rose was a dreamer, she glowed you know. She was always off in her own world, staring up at the stars. Bullies always picked on her. Knocked her about, tried to crush what made her special. She never gave in. She stood up to them and she tried to protect others, like me. Even that stupid git Jimmy, didn't break her. But that day she gave in and broke into a million pieces in my arms. She told me she just wanted to die" he said, his voice cracking with emotion, "she begged me to let her die."

Both Nine and Ten looked at Mickey in disbelief, Rose begging to die was an impossibility. Rose was full of life, never giving up, no matter what the situation was. It was part and parcel of what made Rose, Rose.

"You don't believe me?" Mickey spit out, his eyes full of rage and pain. "Well let me show you." Mickey grabbed Ten's hands and placed them on the sides of his head.

"Go on look." Mickey screamed into Ten's face "go on, you coward, LOOK!"

Ten didn't want to look, and tried to pull away, but Nine was there putting his hand on Mickey and dragging Ten with him into the human's mind.

_He saw the other side of the white room. Saw the blood streaked hole in the wall. Saw his beautiful Rose collapsed on the floor in Mickey's arms. Saw her torn hands bleeding. Heard her screaming for him. Heard her begging Mickey. Heard his beautiful brave girl tell Mickey she wanted to die. _

_"I can't Mickey, just let me go, let me die, the pain is so much" _

_"No, you can't give up. You have keep going. The Doctor will find a way back to you."_

_"He can't, I've lost him. I've lost him" her voice was dead. _

_"Rose, Rose listen to me. Do you remember that time when the Doctor went chased after that French bird and left us behind? I was scared but you weren't. Even when I said that he might not come back, and what are we going to do? Do you remember what you said, Rose" he asked shaking her._

_Rose looked up at him with dead eyes. _

_"You said that you would Live, Rose, Live Fantastically, because you promised him, eh when he was the big ear Doctor. You promised him that you would live fantastically. You have to try Rose, you have to try."_

_ Rose shuddered and fresh tears flowed from her swollen eyes "Fantastically, I promised him" she said brokenly._

"_That's right, Rose, fantastically live." Mickey said as he held his broken mate and rocked her as sobs shook her fragile body. _

Mickey tore both the Doctor's hands away from his head and stepped back from them.

Both Ten and Nine were overwhelmed with emotion and they could do nothing but stare at Mickey.

"Now do you see, yeah? What it did to her to be apart from you. She tried after that to live each day. Then you call her to some beach in Norway and tell her goodbye. She tells you she loves you and then you disappear; you didn't even say the words back to her. Do you think she held that against you?"

Mickey snorted and shook his head "She didn't, it just made her work harder because it hurt her more to see the pain in your eyes. For three years, her life was wrapped around finding a way back to you and to be a better companion when she did get back to you."

"Then what do you do when she does get back. You go and leave her behind again. Worse thing is I didn't even know it. I thought she was up there somewhere with you, happy. Wasn't until Jack told me what you had done that I knew Rose was over there. You left her there, you stupid git. Jack grounded me for weeks because I wanted to find you and beat you into your next face. In fact, I still do." Mickey said as he suddenly punched Ten in his already battered face.

Ten fell over, his jaw throbbing with pain.

Mickey stood over him, his hands clenched into fists and his whole body shaking in anger.

"You left her behind because you couldn't deal with your pain, didn't' want to see her get old and die. Well now how's it feel to get you wish, you don't get to see her get old and die, do you? She is only 25 and she is dying" Mickey said brokenly "she is dying".

Martha grabbed him and pulled him into her arms, holding her broken hearted fiancé as he cried for his friend.

Jack let Donna go and walked over to Ten and helped him to his feet.

"Doctor, you know I love and admire you and I know that you are a genius, but you are surprisingly dense."

Martha snorted, Jack turned and winked at her and she winked back.

"You keep making the same mistake over and over again"

Ten looked at Jack like he had grown two heads.

"It's true. You keep thinking that it is quantity over quality but its quality over quantity. Yes, it is painful to know that everyone you love will someday wither away while you're left alone. But that is supposed to make the moments you spend together more precious. It gives you memories to cling to when you lose them."

Jack looked at the two Doctors "I've lived a long time and I have never regretted loving someone, but I do regret not telling them, or not loving them enough." Jack said softly "that regret is what keeps me up at night."

He patted Ten's shoulder, "and that is what keeps you up at night too, old friend"

Everyone was silent. Nine had collapsed into a jump seat holding his head in his hands. He wouldn't let them wipe his memory when he left here he decided. He would go back to his own timeline, tell Rose he loved her, and then find a time a place where he could keep her safe. He would live life with her until the end and then deal whatever pain came.

Ten stared at Jack, his mind a whirl of emotions.

He hated that it was Jack that made sense.

He was an idiot.

He was the coward that Mickey and his past had named him.

He should have embraced whatever time he could have had with Rose, he should have told her he loved her.

In Rassilon's name what had he done?


	5. Chapter 5

**Doctor Who is the property of BBC**

**Chapter Five**

"Finally my dear Thief, I was beginning to think that they would all have line up to beat you before you saw sense." TARDIS said dryly

Sarah Jane, Martha, and Donna all burst into giggles.

Both Nine and Ten blushed.

"Thief, if given the chance would you love Rose completely, without holding anything back, knowing she would die and leave you alone?"

The Doctors looked at each other and then answered together "Yes"

"Then you my dear Thief must save Rose" the TARDIS said

"What I would like to know is why she is dying" asked Jack

"Rose is unique. She is the Bad Wolf. In all the universes there is only one Rose Tyler. The universe she is trapped in is rejecting what it does not recognize, it is slowly killing her."

Ten stood frozen in horror as he realized that he had condemned his Rose to death by leaving her in that universe. As waves of guilt washed over him, TARDIS spoke to him in his mind, _"My dear Thief, you aren't helping Rose by wallowing in guilt. Snap out of it." _

His past laughed at him and he looked over at his big eared self and glared.

"How can we save her, we can't just blast our way into another universe, it will cause collapse of all universes." Nine said

"True, but there are moments in time when the layers between the universes are thin and times when holes appear. Much like an ocean tide, it flows. I have spent many eons watching the tides between universes and the time is near where a hole will open. You can go and get Rose and bring her home"

Hope began to form in the hearts of the Doctors.

To see Rose again, to tell he loved her, to hold her in his arms once more.

"Thief it won't be easy. The universe is killing her bit by bit. She is losing hope and the will to fight. If she gives into the darkness she will die. She must hold on until the hole appears. You must go there and help her."

"How do I get to her" Ten demanded.

"Rose is the Bad Wolf, she is connected to me."

"I thought I took it out of her"

"Most of it but some remains, she is my Wolf and I hold her dear. I feel her even across dimensions of space and time. Your body can not reach her until the hole appears but your thoughts can follow the thread that binds Rose and I. You need to go to her and help her. My Wolf is so alone, the spark that holds her to me is faint and I fear it won't last much longer" the light in the control room dimmed and they felt the TARDIS's sadness.

"You could feel her and you didn't tell me?" Ten shouted.

"Until this moment you wouldn't have listened to me anyways. That is why I brought them here, to help you see clearly what Rose means to you and to give you courage to face it."

"Do I go with him?" asked Nine

"Yes, she will need both of you. It will be dangerous, if she dies while you are still connected to her, you will be trapped there, and you will die as well."

Ten gave Nine a tight grin and said "Well truthfully it's not like I've been really living since I left her, so Allons-Y."

"Doctor, are you sure about this?" Donna asked, laying her hand on Ten arm.

"I know that you loved her, but you could die"

Ten looked at his friend, a bittersweet smile on his face, "I will die if I don't try, but thank you for being concerned for me" he hugged her and then turned to the others standing there. "Thank all of you."

He took a deep breath and turned to the center console, "Okay then, let's get going"

"Because the thread between Rose and I is stretched thin, I can not control it. It will fluctuate and take you in and out of moments in time. I will bring you back to your bodies right before the hole opens. It is only open briefly, so you must guide her back to Bad Wolf Bay. Do you understand?"

The Doctors both nodded their heads.

"Then look Thief, look deeply, set your body aside, and follow the light" the TARDIS began to hum as a thin beam of light came out of the center of her. It flowed and moved like it was alive.

The Doctors were mesmerized by the light. Watching it as weaved its way to them, Ten had sudden thought "I should have sat down".

Jack tried to catch both of the Doctors before their bodies hit the ground but all he ended up doing was bashing his head on the jump seat.

"Damm" he said as he rubbed his head.

Sarah Jane and Donna rearranged the Doctor's bodies so they looked more comfortable while Martha took a look at the cut on Jack's head.

"Just a bit of a lump, you'll be fine."

"Thanks, sweetie" Jack said giving her one of his cheeky smiles.

Martha just rolled her eyes at him.

"So, what do we do now?" Mickey asked, pulling Martha away from Jack.

The TARDIS spoke "We wait, Friend, we wait and we hope that the Thief can save Rose. Rose Tyler must not die. If she dies this universe will die and then another and another until all is darkness"


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for all for being so kind to me. I can't describe how happy it makes me feel, when someone says they are enjoying my story. I hope that everyone likes the new chapters. **

**I don't own Doctor Who, now I am going to go cry in the corner.**

**Chapter Six**

Rose

Rose hated paperwork. She firmly believed that it was alien life form. How else could you explain how it seemed to grow no matter how hard you worked at getting it off your desk? Just looking at the piles of paper that littered her desk put her in a dark mood. Everyone at Torchwood knew that when "Commander Thorn" was working at her desk, it was best not to disturb her unless one had a death wish.

So when there was a knock on her office door, the knocker wasn't surprised to hear her growl out "Whoever that is better have a bloody good reason."

"Well, how about I just got back early from a four month mission and came to give my report, M'am" said the man at the door.

"Jack" Rose said, a smile of greeting on her face, as she got up and rounded her desk to hug her friend.

Jack lifted Rose up and twirled her around.

"So, how is my best girl?"

Rose laughed lightly, "You'd better not let Gwen hear you say that. She'll have you head on a platter."

"Nah, she likes my body too much to separate it from my head" he said with a cheeky grin and set her back on her feet.

"Now let me look at you. Pretty as ever, but looks like you need a bit of fatting up. You should come with me back to Cardiff, and let Gwen put some meat on those bones." Jack kept his voice light and teasing but he was shocked at the condition Rose was in. He had only been gone a few months and it looked like she had dropped another ten or more pounds from her already thin frame.

Rose wasn't fooled by Jack's teasing, she knew that he was concerned.

"I was sick for a few days, but better now. Don't worry."

"Sick, is that what you call having your heart stop twice, and then being in a coma for three days?" Jack said looking at Rose in disbelief.

"Don't overreact Jack, I am fine" Rose said sitting back down behind her desk, only to jump to her feet again.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be on a diplomatic mission to sector 10. You're not scheduled back until three weeks from now. I worked too long on getting negotiations started for you to waltz back so soon" Rose said glaring at Jack.

"Whoa, whoa" Jack said holding up his hands in surrender, "everything is settled, peace treaties all signed. Your name alone opened so many doors, that all I had to do is mention you were my close personal friend and everyone was lining up to sign on the dotted line. I was already on my way back when Pete reached me."

Rose glared at him another few seconds, trying to judge if he was telling the complete truth. She sat back down in her chair, satisfied for the moment that he was being sincere.

"So no hold outs in sector ten?"

"Nope, each planet and federation decided that your proposals were in their best interest."

"That is good news. I knew you were the man for the job. You could charm anything flesh and blood, and perhaps even a machine or two."

"Thank you for the opportunity Rose, I know that you had to fight the powers to be to let me be the lead in this mission, considering they still don't trust me." Jack said

Rose snorted, "well considering how you once tried to con Pete into investing in a fake product, from a fake company, on a fake planet, can you be surprised that no one in the company trusts you?"

"No, but you did. You fought to keep me out of jail and to bring me aboard. You saved my life and my marriage. I don't think I can ever repay that."

"Jack, you have more than proven that you are a better man than you ever let yourself be. All you needed was a kick in the pants and a chance to prove it." Rose said gently.

"Why do I have this feeling that you saved the other me too?" Jack mused.

Rose smiled sadly as memories from so long ago flashed before her eyes.

"Actually, the first time we met, you saved me from a barge balloon. Of course right after that you tried to con me and seduce me all within first five minutes of meeting me."

Jack laughed "good to know I have good taste in women no matter what universe I'm from."

"That Jack had taste for anything that moved. I am glad that part of you is devoted to Gwen, it makes you a happier man."

"So, truthfully did you and the other me ever.." Jack asked making a rude motion with his hands.

"God, no!" Rose said throwing a pen at his head. "We were friends, we flirted a bit, yeah but most of that was you trying to make the Doctor..." Rose paused, biting her lip and blinking rapidly to keep the sudden tears from falling.

Jack leaned forward and reached for her hands that were clinched tight on the desk. "Rose, tell me about it. It sounded like such a good memory. Sometimes it helps to talk about the good times" he said rubbing her cold hands.

"I can't Jack. I can't think about it. I want to. They are such good memories, so many of them. But they are empty and cold, like shadows in my mind."

Jack met her tear filled eyes and saw the pain there. They were the same eyes he saw when he first met her, just a few weeks after she had lost everything.

_He had slowly and steadily worked the con, and finally been invited to dinner at Pete's house. _

_He could remember being on such a high, he would score this con, go home convince Gwen to go off planet with him to live like kings._

_Jack had been having drinks in the parlor with Pete, when Jackie came in gently in pulling a young blonde by the arm. _

_"You promised to come and be social tonight, and by all that's holy you are going to do so"._

_Pete had smiled at his wife and introduced him to Jackie. _

_Jack had not been prepared for her response, "Holy hell. It's you." She had exclaimed her hand covering her mouth as she looked over her shoulder at the other woman in the room._

_"Jack?" the young woman in the doorway had whispered her voice full of hope and longing._

_"Yes?" Jack asked confused and searching his memory if he had ever met the blonde before. He had quite a reputation with ladies but since meeting Gwen he had been loyal. Mostly out of fear, but loyal was loyal._

_"Jack, oh Jack" she had said before she had hurled herself into his arms sobbing. _

_"I've missed you so much. How did you get here? Can you get back? Please tell me you can get back!" she begged him. _

_"Um, miss I am sorry but I don't know you." Jack said trying to pull out of her tight embrace. _

_"It's me Rose" she said leaning back to look at him "don't you remember me?" her eyes searched his._

_Jack couldn't understand why, but his heart felt like it was breaking in his chest as he looked into her tear soaked brown eyes._

_"No, I am sorry M'am, I wish I did but," he said hopelessly feeling terrible as the blond dropped her arms from around him and stepped back.._

_"You're not him are you? You are this universe's Jack. Not mine. Not my Captain Jack." _

_She took another wobbly step back and collapsed on a chair._

_"He'll never know what happened. I am alone" she said brokenly her head bowed as if the weight of the world pushed down upon her. _

_Jackie pulled the girl into her arms "My darling Rose, you're not alone. I am here, Pete's here, and Tony is here. We love you Rose."_

_Jack looked at Rose's face and saw the pain there. He knew instinctively that while Jackie's words were meant to comfort and heal, they would never be enough to heal the wounds he saw in the young blonde's face. He wondered again why his heart hurt so much to see her pain. He couldn't understand why he would feel this way about a girl he just met._

_Pete apologized and asked him if he wouldn't mind taking a rain check on dinner. Jack had agreed and spent half the night at a local bar trying to get a pair of brown eyes off his conscience. _

_A few days later he had gone back to dinner only to have his whole con blown out of the water by Rose. She seemed to know every one of his bluffs. She asked him point blank if he was lying. When he said no, the look of disappointment on her face had made him wiggle in his seat like a schoolboy. He had no idea how she managed it but she made him confess everything. Pete had wanted to call the police and have him hauled to jail, but Rose stepped in and said that Torchwood needed someone like him. That he just needed a chance to become a better man. Pete gave in to Rose and Jack became a member of her team. _

_When they had gone down to Cardiff on a mission, she insisted on meeting Gwen. They became instant friends and Gwen was grateful that she now had a partner in her fight to save Jack from himself. He should have resented their meddling but he didn't. Their confidence in him made him want to be the man they insisted he was. Rose's trust in him had brought him a life that he was proud to live and he knew he could never repay her. _

Jack had come to love Rose, as had Gwen, and they had been hopeful that time would ease the sadness from her heart, but as he looked at her across the way he wondered if that would ever happen.

Knowing how much she hated to appear vulnerable, Jack gave her hands a gentle squeeze and let her go. He brushed imaginary lint from his pants as Rose gained control of herself.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her "so since I am back in time, this means you have to keep your promise and be my date at the Torchwood's Holiday Ball tomorrow night".

Rose groaned, "come on Jack really? Can't you convince Gwen to go? You know I hate having to go to those stupid things."

"No, you know she doesn't feel like getting dressed up now that she is at 8 months. That is why you promised her you would go with me, to keep me safe. We both know that I have got to be there to rub elbows and asses, so that the Cardiff branch can get better funding. And don't think I don't know that you deliberately had the mission scheduled to insure that I would be off world so you wouldn't have to go."

Rose had the grace to blush since he was right about the timing.

"If you really don't want to go, I am sure that Gwen will understand and if all those silly girls start jumping me, and she gets upset and divorces me and my poor baby grows up in a broken home. Well I won't blame you" he said with an evil grin.

"Lay it on thick why don't you, you scoundrel,"

Jack just shrugged his shoulders and watched Rose squirm.

"Fine whatever; a promise is a promise after all. Tell Gwen that I am honored to be on babysitting duty for one evening." Rose said rolling her eyes.

"Wonderful, so what time are you picking me up and where are you taking me to dinner?" Jack teased

"I'll meet you there, you terrible person and they serve dinner before the ball as you well know."

"You are a really cheap date Commander Thorn."

"I've been called worse." She said sticking her tongue out at him.

"You need to mind your manners, young lady" Jack said in a perfect parody of Jackie's voice.

"You'd better not let my mum hear you do that, or you'll be learning how dodge her hand. And speaking of dodging smacks, have you been home yet?"

"No, I called Gwen before landing, she told me to check on you before I came home."

"Well, you've seen that I am fine, and forced me into going to that stupid ball tomorrow night, so go home. You've been gone nearly three months." Rose said as she got up and walked around her desk.

Jack stood and hugged her tightly, "Okay, I am going, I'll see you tomorrow at the ball. Wear something sexy baby."

Rose snorted "Sure thing, I'll put my cleanest uniform on, will that be sexy enough?"

Jack just laughed and walked out of her office closing the door behind him.

Rose sat back down at her desk and was startled by Jack when he poked his head back in and said "by the way, I already told your mom you were going with me, she said she'd pick you up in the morning for a day of beauty and shopping, enjoy." Jack quickly shut the door and took off running like a mad man with the sound of Rose screaming "JACK you PRAT" following him down the hall. She would pay him back for his prank but the look on her face just now was worth it. Now off to home to his lovely girl and see if she was in the mood for a little Jack.

Hours later Rose punched in the code for her front door and went in.

"Lights please" she said as she set her bag and keys down on the table by the door.

She walked into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator for something to eat. There wasn't much other than a tub of peach yogurt and an apple. Since she wasn't that hungry anyways she decided it would be enough for dinner. She stood over the sink and ate her meager meal while going over some notes she had taken for another peace proposal with some holdouts in sector eight.

After her dinner she exercised for about an hour in her basement gym, took a hot shower, and prepared herself for bed.

By ten she was ready. She sat on the side of her bed and looked around her bedroom. She had recently changed the décor in this room at the suggestion of Gwen. She had hoped that it would help her sleep better. The room was done in soft blues, greens, and white. It was beautiful, feminine, and restful. Rose knew that at some point in her life she would have loved it, but to her eyes it was dull, the colors muted.

"Well, I've made it through another day" she whispered to the picture on the bedside table.

Picking it up tracing a finger around the face of the man that smiled back at her, she spoke to him.

"I think I did really well today. Jack came by and made me laugh a bit, so that was nice. He did really well with mission I gave him. He also conned me into going to that stupid ball, since Gwen is so far along. They want me to be the godmother of the baby. Isn't that sweet?" she paused "Our baby would be walking by now don't you think?" her voice cracking slightly

Rose took a deep breath and let it out slowly and spoke to the picture again "I miss you every moment of the day, but I am keeping my promise."

Rose placed the picture back on the table next to a piece of red coral.

"Lights off" she said as she turned on her side in the darkness, just missing the bit of golden dust that drifted out of the coral.


	7. Chapter 7

**This Chapter was hard for me to write. This episode of Doctor Who makes me cry every freaking time I watch it or even think about it. I am not completely satisfied with it but I've rewrote it again and again and this is what keeps coming out. So be it. Please let me know what you think. **

**I don't own Doctor Who. If I owned it the whole episode would be a prank. The Doctor would get in the TARDIS and then disappear only to reappear a moment later with Ashton Kutcher, telling Rose she got Punk'd. After she finished beating him, they would get back into the TARDIS, living happily ever after. The END**

**Chapter 7**

Doctor

_"I should have sat down" he thought._

The first thing that he knew was that there were birds somewhere nearby. Rather loud sea birds. He wasn't fond of sea birds. They reminded him of the sea. The sea reminded him of beaches. He really didn't like beaches. Not since, well not since leaving Rose on one. Out of habit as soon as he thought her name he tried to push it down. It wasn't safe to think about Rose.

"Hey, how long are you just going to stand around with your eyes closed?" a harsh northern accent asked him.

Ten opened his eyes in surprise, blinking rapidly at the bright light. He was on a beach. On_ that_ beach. Suddenly everything came back to him in a rush. Rose, he was going to see Rose.

He looked around and saw his former self looking at him like he was a loon, perhaps he was, he thought with a grin.

"I must have lost some IQ points when I regenerated into you" snapped Nine

"Could be old boy, but pretty aren't I"

Nine just rolled his eyes and pointed down the beach at the group of people.

"Looks like we overshot by a bit, I suggest that we go down there and see what we can do."

Ten's smile faded when he realized just when he was. He started running, he wanted to stop himself from doing the stupidest thing he could ever do and make things right.

Nine followed Ten's running form. He thought about pointing out some facts to his pretty boy self but decided to let him figure it out for himself. He deserved a little pain.

Ten ran shouting down the beach. No one looked his way. He ran right up to himself and starting shouting into his face.

"No, don't do it you stupid prat. Tell her the truth, tell her how you feel you idiot. Damm it look at me"

"Don't think he can hear you, pretty boy, don't think any of them can hear us." Nine said dryly.

Ten turned and looked hopelessly at Nine when, he caught sight of Rose. His whole being stilled and tears came. He took a step and then another towards his girl. It had been so long since he had seen her, he had almost forgotten how she glowed, even with tears running down her face, she was the most beautiful being in all of time. He reached out to wipe the tears that were falling from her eyes only to pass though her body.

Ten tried again only to have the same thing happen. He was so close but so far. Like that day he had burned up a sun for her, only worse because he knew that he could have had everything but he had been the fool. Now he wanted to hit himself.

He stood next to Rose unable to comfort her as she listened to the fool in front of her.

"A bit pretentious weren't you?" Nine asked sneeringly

"I thought I was being noble" Ten said with a bitter laugh "Noble Time Lord, pretending at being self sacrificing, giving up what he wants the most for her sake, but really he is just terrified of loving and being loved."

_"Please don't leave me!" _

Ten looked at Rose, confusion on his face, he didn't remember her saying that.

"Please don't, don't leave me please don't leave me. I love you. Please Doctor"

Nine and Ten looked at each other and then at Rose.

They realized at the same moment that they were hearing Rose's thoughts rather than her words.

They both reached out with their minds and they were suddenly sucked into hers.

Rose's mind was a chaotic mess, she was falling apart, but trying so hard to hold herself together.

In the mist of the chaos, they saw the gold pulse of the TARDIS's link with Rose.

"My dear Thief, you have come." TARDIS hummed to them, "I was beginning to wonder if I had miscalculated time."  
"We are here but what are we supposed to do? They don't know we are here, I can't stop me from leaving her." Ten said clearly frustrated.

"This timeline must be left alone. She has her own destiny to fulfill here. She has EVENTS that she must set in motion for this universe. You are here to observe. To understand and help her"

"How?" Nine asked

"That is for you to figure out. You must all work together. You must learn to listen, Thief, and you must learn to be open. You have hidden too long behind your intellect and your fear. You can hear her thoughts, listen to them. Rose needs you to open yourself to her. She will not survive on half measures"

Both Doctors were nervous. Exposing their hearts was terrifying, what if Rose saw what they were and rejected them? Darkness and Death followed them, how could someone like Rose love that.

"THIEF!" the voice of the TARDIS grew cold and angry. "Do you think so little of my Wolf? Open your mind and see this moment from her eyes."

They suddenly could hear clearly hear Rose's thoughts but worse yet they could feel her pain.

Her soul was shattering, her heart was breaking, the moment she had been dreading was at hand. Sarah Jane had warned her that this moment would come.

_"I know you love him Rose. I know the signs, I loved him once too" she had said her eye misty with memories,_

_"But a day will come when he will leave you behind. He will do it because he can't face seeing you age and die. Rose, if you love him, if you really love him, let him go. Don't beg him to stay. Don't make it harder on him then it has to be. He carries so much guilt already, don't add more. Promise me Rose, you will let him go."_

The TARDIS spoke, "My Wolf put her own hurt aside. She will let you go this day, letting you believe that she is fine, that she will be happy with the human clone you leave her with. All in order to spare you as much pain as she can."

"What were the words you were going to say to me that time?" she asked the noble idiot.

_"Please, tell me you love me. Please at least give me that" her heart begged him._

Nine screamed at idiot, "tell her, tell her you stupid man, tell her she is your whole life. That she is the reason you started living again after being dead for so long. Tell her you love her"

"Does it need saying?" the noble idiot said.

_"Yes, my Doctor it does need to be said" her broken heart replied _

"I love you Rose Tyler."

_"Same voice wrong man. For you my Doctor."_

The Doctors felt her intention when she kissed the metacrisis Doctor.

Ten remembered the jealousy that had made it easier to turn away and walk into the TARDIS and close the door without looking back. He now realized she had done it on purpose.

"Do not take my Wolf's love lightly, Thief. Her love is stronger than your past. She is not the coward here. Choose Thief, stay and give everything, or leave now. Your choice"

Nine spoke first, "I will stay, for my Rose, I will stay"

Ten, his voice cracking with emotion said "I love her, I will do anything to tell her so."

"So be it, my dear Thief. Take care of her and good luck." TARDIS whispered before her voice was gone.

Rose heard the door of the TARDIS close and she pulled away from the clone and ran towards it.

"No, no. please Doctor, my Doctor don't leave me" her mind screamed.

Ten and Nine felt her heart shudder in her chest as the TARDIS slowly disappeared. They felt thread that connected her to the TARDIS stretch and grow thin.

Rose stood there in the cold wind, shattered in mind and spirit, abandoned by the man she loved. Ten and Nine stood next to her humbled and awed. They could feel her grief and pain, but they could also feel the love she was sending him, her hope that he would be safe, be happy, and find peace.

The Metacrisis Doctor walked over and stood beside her. "Rose, I know that you are hurting and confused but what I sad to you is true. I love you Rose Tyler"

Rose looked at him, pain etched on every line of her face.

"I am him, I am the part of him that can love you. I have all his memories and all his love for you. If you let me, I can love you the way you deserve to be loved. I know it won't be easy for you but I am not going anywhere, I will never leave you behind. I will be your forever."

Rose heard the voice she loved, coming out of the face she had grown to love, saying words she had wanted to hear since she had asked for a dance in cellar, so many rights, but one great wrong.

"Name, you need name" Rose stuttered, trying to control her tears

"What about John?" he asked "We have used that before, haven't we?" smiling gently at Rose.

"Yes, we have. John it is."

"Give me a chance Rose" John said, holding out his hand to her, "he would want you to."

Rose looked at the familiar hand outstretched in front of her. She remembered the Doctor asking her to help him, John, help John, his last mission for her.

"For you my Doctor" Nine and Ten heard her soul say as she took John's hand and smiled weakly at him.

John gave her hand a squeeze and with quick grin he pulled her down the beach back towards the others. As he walked in front of her, he spoke softly but fiercely under his breath "I'll take care of her now, you've done enough damage".

The Doctors realized that he was speaking to them. He knew they were there!

"Can you see us?" Ten started to ask but his words were cut off as the world began to spin faster and he and Nine were tossed into time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Good morning everyone,**

**first, a big huge ginormous thank you to G. Goodwren for volunteering to be my beta reader. I am so much happier now that I have someone to read, give me great suggestions, and clean up behind me, I always forget where the commas go.**

**Secondly, thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed. I don't think that I could ever express how much your kind words encourage me. No one in my everyday life knows that I write, so having your support means the world to me. **

**Thirdly, I hope you all enjoy the next two chapters. Not a lot of action but I think that they form a base for what will come. **

**And lastly, thank you all again for taking time to read, review, follow, and favorite my little story. **

**PS I do not own Doctor Who. I am building a TARDIS to go back in time to steal the idea but don't know when I can complete it. Will continue trying, until then BBC owns my Doctor. **

**Chapter 8**

Rose

_The dream always started the same; darkness, blood, and tears. Rose's body tensed, preparing itself for the onslaught of emotions. _

_She walked the path in darkness towards the edge, her feet moving against her will. She knew what was coming and she fought it with all that she could. She had been down this path countless times before. She knew it was a dream and she willed herself to wake, to take control, where she had none. As if to taunt her, the pull toward the edge eased and her feet stilled and for a moment she felt herself reaching for wakefulness only to be suddenly plunged over the cliff. _

_Falling  
into the abyss, the voices of the dammed called to her. "Join us, join us, murderer, liar, you vile one, join us, join us."_

_"No!" Rose screamed her denial. Slamming into the ground, she laid there, her soul already aching and tired. _

_The cry of a child started in the darkness._

_He was dying once again she was too late to save him. Rose leaned over his body, blood was everywhere. It covered her hands as she tried to stop it. Sobbing, she avoided looking into his accusing eyes as he spoke, "Rose why? Rose you promised to love me. You promised to care for me. You promised to save me."_

_"I tried John, I do love you," she said, her voice thin and pleading._

_"Liar. You never loved me. You used me. You only loved him." His voice was laced with bitterness. "But the joke is on you, he never loved you. He left you because you were a bother and he never wanted you. You were useless to him, you never did anything right. Look at me!" Her eyes betrayed her and she saw the truth in the cruel twist of his mouth "You couldn't even do the last thing he asked of you and save me." _

_The child's cry grew louder in the dark._

_Rose cried as he died, his words a bitter litany to her heart. _

_"Quite right, why would I want someone like you? Nothing but a common shop girl, you are. Why would someone like me ever love something as dull as you? You, Rose Tyler, are nothing."_

_Each word pounded her heart. "I tried to lift you up out of your trite pathetic life but you are too stupid and hopeless. You are nothing, Rose Tyler." _

_The words he spoke cut deep, but when he turned to walk away she still begged him, "Please don't leave me! Please, I love you. Please…"_

_He didn't look back and he melted into the darkness. The cry of the child grew louder. _

_Rose squeezed her eyes shut so she couldn't see him walk away from her again and put her hands over her ears trying to stop the sound of crying. _

_ The child was wailing._

_The child's cries surrounded her, beating on her senses. "Why didn't you save me, mummy? Why did you let me die?"_

_Rose's eyes opened to look at the child. "I am sorry. I am sorry. Please forgive me."_

_She reached out to the child, only to find her embrace empty. _

_She was alone again. Even the cry of the child was gone. The silence was heavy and it pushed against her until she was struggling to take a breath. She was alone, always alone in the darkness, with blood on her hands. Alone, so damn alone._

She woke with a start. Her breath was heavy, her heart labored in her chest.

She hated the dark that seemed to suffocate her. "Lights," she choked out.

Lights flooded her room.

Her eyes darted down to her hands. Even though she could see they were free of blood, she still had to run to the bathroom to scrub them raw. Then came the nausea and she barely made it to the toilet in time to empty her stomach of what little she had had for dinner.

She sat there on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, her forehead braced on edge of the porcelain bowl, until her breathing became normal and the tightness in her chest eased. She was used to the dreams and what they did to her, but they never got easier, they never got better.

Rose knew that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight, so she went back to her bedroom. She removed the sweat soaked sheets off the bed and put them into the washer.

It was now two in the morning; she had managed almost four hours of sleep which was not bad for her these days.

She stood in the kitchen, ate some biscuits to settle her stomach and decided to have another work out.

After she had pushed her body to its limit she took a hot shower and checked the time. It was only six. Her mom wouldn't be here until ten to take her out shopping and beautifying. She would have to think of something terrible to do to Jack for getting her into that.

She walked into the room next to her bedroom. It had once been a guest room but Rose didn't like having people in her private space anymore so she had turned it into a music room. A white baby grand piano was the center piece of the room. It had been a gift from Pete and Jackie. They had been amazed by Rose's ability to play so well after just a few lessons. Her teacher said that she had a gift and that it was a pity that it hadn't been discovered when she was young. When she said she couldn't accept such an expensive gift, Pete had gruffly insisted, saying that her other father would have wanted her to have it. He had hugged her and told her to think of it as a combination of all the birthdays and Christmas's that he and the other Pete hadn't been able to be there for.

Rose sat on the bench and lifted the cover and let her fingers run over the keys. She warmed up with a little Mozart from memory. Then she switched to a song she had heard on the radio yesterday. She played for hours, letting the music clear her mind and lift her soul.

The car bumped up the driveway, hitting every pothole. Jackie's driver, Frank, gave her an apologetic smile in the rearview mirror as he came to a stop. She looked at her daughter's little cottage. It had once been a charming home. Now the stone fence around the small yard needed repair and the lawn needed weeding … but what bothered Jackie the most was how faded the paint was on the house. When real estate agent first shown them the house, Rose had lit up for the first time since she had been trapped in this universe. The deep blue paint and the real estate agent's passing comment about it being bigger on the inside than it looked outside had brought a sweet smile to her face. It had been that smile alone that allowed Jackie to gracefully let her daughter move out of the mansion. She had wanted to keep Rose near, to help her when she screamed into the night but Rose said she needed her own space, away from her mother's and Pete's concerned and watchful eyes. When she wasn't working in the lab or studying, she had fixed up the cottage. She did it herself, not letting anyone else touch her home. Rose had said it soothed her heart to bang away.

Then came that day where Jackie had witnessed her brave daughter let go of the person that she loved beyond herself. Rose allowed herself to be stuck in a universe where she felt she didn't belong. Jackie watched Rose take the hand of a stranger who wore a familiar face and bring him back to this house to heal. She had rejoiced as they grew closer and as her daughter's heart opened to the love that he had for her. The house became a home. Then in one tragic twist of fate, everything changed and Rose was left alone again.

The house, like her daughter, continued to stand strong, unbowed to the winds and changes of fate but, like her daughter, it no longer glowed. It was faded, a bitter shadow of what once was, a tragic reminder of all that could have been.

Jackie wanted to tell Rose to sell the house, to find somewhere else to live or move back in with them but every time she even started to suggest it, Rose's demeanor changed. Her face would get dark, her voice cold. So, Jackie left it alone. She understood that it was Rose's last link to her happy times. All that she could hope for was that, by some miracle, happiness would come again to her child's life.

Frank opened her door and Jackie got out, squaring her shoulders and preparing herself for a fight. She knew that Rose did not want to go to this ball tonight and she definitely did not want to go shopping with her mother or submit to spa treatments that Jackie had lined up. She missed the old Rose at times like these. The old Rose would have been thrilled to do such frivolous things. Now Rose had to be begged, threatened, or in this case, conned into it.

Jackie approached the house. Music floated on the air. It was a beautiful and haunting melody. It stirred the soul and broke the heart with notes of longing, of agonizing sadness and pain, of reaching for something that was always just out of reach.

Only a handful of people had ever heard Rose play that piece and even then only by accident, since Rose never played it willingly for anyone. It was her private pain, set to music. Her piano teacher had once sat outside of the music room door, tears running down his wrinkled face as he listened to it. He had to cancel her lesson for the day because he couldn't stop crying. Pete had locked himself away in his basement workshop when he first heard it, drinking and crying for hours in memory of those he had lost in the war. Jack had broken like a child when he first heard it, standing in her garden in the wee hours of the morning after a mission had gone terribly wrong. He had stormed up the stairs and nearly crushed her in a bear hug, trying in his way to ease the pain he heard in the music.

Everyone who heard it said that it broke their heart - except for Jackie. It filled her with a murderous rage. Jackie knew the Rose played it when her nightmares were particularly bad. The terrible, longing melody filled Jackie with a burning hate for the man that caused her daughter such pain. He had broken his promise to her, he had promised to always bring her home safe. Instead, he left her broken, in pieces, and Jackie Tyler would never forget or forgive him for that.

Plastering a big smile on her face, Jackie beat on the door loudly and yelled, "Rose? Rose you'd better be dressed and ready to go if you have time to be planking on that piano. We've got reservations in twenty minutes at the salon and you know Lana won't wait."

The music stopped and Rose yelled that she would be down in a moment. Jackie walked back to the car where Frank was wiping tears off his face.

Eyes haunted, he asked, "Do you know the name of the song she was playing Ma'am? Most touching music I've ever heard, made me think of everyone that I have ever loved and lost all at once."

"It's called, 'Don't Follow Daft Alien Strangers in Blue Boxes because They'll Only Break Your Heart'." Jackie snapped. "And stop standing there crying like a girl and turn the car around, she'll be down in a moment and we've no time to waste." She got into the car and slammed the door. Jackie cursed the Doctor, cursed him to hell and back, but she also prayed he would somehow show up because she knew only he could make Rose glow again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for reading! Please review.**

**The odd words are real they are Hindu and Chinese words for truth, student, and teacher. Well at least that's what Google said. **

**Chapter 9**

Hours (or in Rose's estimation, a lifetime) later, she was all beautified and dressed to the nines. Her evening gown was simply cut and black. Jackie had tried to get her into something flashy but Rose refused, choosing instead something understated but elegant. The soft lines of the dress camouflaged Rose's too slim body and gave her curves again. The neckline was high but the back was cut low showing just the right amount of skin.

Jack gave a low wolf whistle as he helped her out of her car.

"Wow Rosie girl, you sure do clean up real nice!" He said with a grin.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Thank you, but that doesn't get you off the hook for me having to spend the whole day being rolled in mud and waxed within an inch of my life."

"Waxing huh?" He asked, looking her up and down and wiggling his eyebrows at her. "What did you have waxed, hmm?"

Rose hit him with her tiny handbag and said, "Never you mind, you pervert!" before walking towards the hotel.

He chuckled and ran to catch up with her. Offering his arm with a courtly bow and a perfect, upper class British accent, "Shall we, my dear?"

"Why yes, I would be ever so pleased, kind sir." Rose replied in a terrible American southern drawl.

Jack threw back his head and laughed as he escorted the second most beautiful woman in his life into the party of the year.

Inside the glittering hotel ballroom, all the bigwigs of this world and many others were gathered. It was a time to cement treaties and funding for projects. Jack had been pulled away to speak to a group of investors, so Rose was circulating on her own. She hated it. She hated the press who always wanted a quote from the famous Commander Tyler of Torchwood. She hated having to smile and be political correct with humans and aliens that she couldn't personally stand.

After making small talk with a particularly offensive board member (who kept trying to touch her bare back), Rose had reached her limit on niceness. She was about to tell the little man she was going to chop his hand off in small micro pieces when Jack showed back up.

"There you are, love," he said, dropping a kiss on her cheek and a possessive arm around her shoulder. "Sexy girl, you owe me a dance. You will excuse us won't you?" He threw the words over his shoulder at the little man as he guided Rose to the dance floor.

"I think I made your admirer a little angry," he said with a nod at the man. He was still glaring at them from the sidelines as Jack swayed Rose into his arms.

"You saved his life. I was just about to cut off the hand that he couldn't keep to himself." Rose said with disgust.

"I know," Jack said with a laugh. "I saw your face from across the room. I felt it was my civic duty to save the party from the blood bath."

Rose giggled and relaxed into Jack's embrace, it had been a very long time since she had danced and it was nice.

"Oh, by the way, I saw Dr. Qu'lar just now and he was asking for you," Jack said.

Rose looked up at him "Really, Dr. Q? How lovely, I haven't seen him in ages."

"He was your old physics teacher, wasn't he?"

"Yes, and he helped with Torchwood's work on the dimension cannon."

"He is here with the Three Truths," Jack said referring to the mystics from Satya, Dr. Qu'lar's home world.

Rose was shocked. The Three Truths rarely met directly with other aliens, much less left their world. Dr. Q had said it was painful for them to be among other life forms because they saw too many not-truths and not-truths caused them pain.

"He would like you to meet them," Jack said as the song ended. "They're waiting for us upstairs in their room."

Rose was excited. She had wanted to meet the Three Truths ever since Dr. Q had told her about them. They were considered the wisest beings in the known universe. After learning about them, Rose had suggested that all treaties between Earth and other worlds be ratified by them, in order to be fair to all parties. It was one of the main reasons that Rose's peace treaties were accepted by nearly all worlds.

Jack smiled at Rose's obvious excitement. She was dragging him along, weaving in and out between people. They made it to the elevators and Jack pushed the button for the penthouse suite.

"You know, this is such an honor," she said, bouncing up and down on her toes. "They are very private people. It took a lot of fast talking on my part to convince them to help with the treaties. Even then I had to use Dr. Q as an envoy."

"I met Dr. Q during the last mission when he hand delivered the treaty. He spoke very highly of you and your bright mind. Said that you were a unique truth. I am not sure what he meant by that," Jack said with a shrug of his shoulders .

"Which part" Rose asked.

"Bright mind? You? Ha!" Jack said as he quickly ducked to the side when Rose threw a punch at him.

"Oi you, I am smarter then you are, yeah."

Jack was saved from making another smart comment when the door opened into the suite.

Dr. Qu'lar smiled and approached his favorite student. She had changed much since he had last seen her. Her life-force light, which had shined so bright even in the pain of separation of heart and soul, was now dimmed. His own soul cried out for the loss of such radiance.

"Siksaka, I greet you with respect and joy," Rose said. She crossed her hands over her chest and bowed in the traditional manner of his people.

"My dear Xuesheng, I receive the truth of your greeting with love and joy," he replied, covering her ears with two of his hands and placing his third on her brow.

Rose smiled up at the six-foot-two alien. He had been both her teacher and lifeline during the first few years after she had been sucked into this universe. He had kept her mind busy learning so she wouldn't lose hope. He had told her stories about his world, and about the Three Truths.

He had to leave before they had completed the cannon though, because he needed to become a caretaker of the Three Truths.

"I have missed you my dear Xuesheng. Have you been keeping up with your studies?"

"I have tried, but time is scarce and I find that without your guidance that I don't see things as clearly." Rose said ruefully.

"I am saddened to hear that, my dear Xuesheng. You have a wonderfully absorbent mind, you should make time to further your studies."

Rose blushed. "You always say that but I know I have only learned as much as I have because of my truly great Siksaka."

"Um, sorry but what do Siksaka and Xuesheng mean?" asked Jack. "Are they some kind of nicknames you have for each other?"

Dr. Qu'lar bowed to the man and smiled. "The translation is a bit difficult in English because our language changes meaning depending on the truth we are speaking. The closest translation for Siksaka is 'revered teacher', and Xuesheng means 'bright student'. Or, in Rose's case, 'unique truth'."

"I see," Jack said, still a little confused.

Dr. Qu'lar looked at Rose and took her hands in his. "My dear one, the Three have come to speak with you."

"Yes, Jack said they were here. But why do they wish to speak with me?"

"They have been waiting and watching for you a long time."

Rose was confused. "I don't understand. Why me? I am nothing but ordinary."

"My dear, as I have told you many times you are a Unique Truth and far from ordinary," he said with a smile. "Now, come. They are waiting for you."

He turned and spoke to Jack. "You are Rose's heart brother and the Three have said you must hear their words as well."

"Heart brother?" Jack asked.

"Yes, you and she share love do you not?" Dr. Q questioned. "Not as joined mates but the love of one who share the same heart."

"Well that is true, Jack. I do love you, even if you are a great big prat sometimes." Rose said with a big smile.

"Back at you little sister," Jack said with a blush, his heart full. Being loved by someone like Rose Tyler was an honor indeed. Jack knew that Rose didn't verbalize her feelings much so it was even sweeter to hear her say it.

"Well then," Jack said with a cocky grin. "Lead the way Dr. Q."

He led them into the next room. There was no furniture in the room, only large pillows scattered on the floor. The room was softly lit by dozens of large white candles placed in groups on the floor. They perfumed the room with the smell of green. Dr. Qu'lar directed them to settle themselves on the pillows near the center of the room. He knocked on another door and stepped into the shadows.

Rose felt growing excitement as she waited to greet the beings that she had only heard about for such a long time.

The door opened and the Three Truths glided into the room and sat down on the pillows in front of Rose and Jack.

Rose crossed her arms and Jack mimicked her, in a bow to the Three.

Three voices melded into one. "Rose Tyler, we have waited long to meet you," the Three sang together.

"I have also longed to meet you. And I would like to extend my gratitude for all your help in bringing peace to us all."

"It was because of truth we helped you and because of truth we are here to tell you: Rose Tyler, you are going to die."

Jack half-stood, his nerves on alert. Were they threatening Rose? Mystic or not, there was no way anyone would threaten his Rose without a fight.

Rose put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down with a glare. He sat but he didn't relax. His eyes moved around the room looking for exits and thinking of how to get her out.

Rose ignored Jack's behavior. People were always threatening her. It came with who she was and what she did.

"You are not afraid?" The Three asked.

"No, not really," she said.

"Truth," they chimed. "The Bad Wolf speaks truth."

Rose paled at their words. No one in this world knew she was the Bad Wolf. She began to feel a little worried.

"We have seen the truth of your coming for many changes of the seasons and the Unique Truth has fulfilled her purpose. Here and now, her time is done."

"Please, can you tell me why you and Dr. Q call me Unique Truth? There is nothing very unique about me, I am just a human."

"Not truth. Rose Tyler, you are many things. You are the Bad Wolf who saves the Time Thief. You are heart and soul to a lost one. You die but rise in Time. You are your own creation. You bring death but choose life. You are many things but 'just human' is not one of them. To us, you are the Unique Truth, in all the universes you alone are one. There are no other Rose Tylers."

Rose didn't understand half of what they were going on about. She really was just an ordinary human. If she was any of what they were saying, he wouldn't have left her, would he?

Their words sang to her, their voice joyful. "We speak only the truth. We see only the truth. We hear only the truth. Torn from her universe, separated from her heart and soul, bleeding and broken in spirit, she would come to us. A Unique Truth, a shining light that would push back the darkness. The light that would start events. To bring a peace, a universal peace. We will live in peace and harmony because of you, Rose Tyler, defender of us all."

Rose jumped to her feet. Her face twisted in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but I am not some kind of peace bringer or defender. I am not a shining light, I am an empty soul. I have so much blood on my hands. I have lost nearly everything that I have ever loved and I dance on the edge of insanity every day. I am no hero. I am just a stupid shop girl who met a man, loved him, and watched him leave."

She stood there, biting her lip to keep her tears from falling. Her body trembled with emotions.

"Truth. the Wolf speaks truth," the Three sang. "But our truth remains. You are all the things we said and so much more."

Jack had enough. They were tearing her apart and he couldn't stand to hear her say such negative things about herself.

He put his arm around her and glared at the Three. "Real nice to meet you all but we will be going now."

"Wait, you have not heard all of the truth."

"Thanks but I think that's enough truth for one night," he said, turning his back to them and guiding Rose towards the door.

"Rose Tyler is dying. This universe is killing you," the Three sang.

Jack turned to them in shock. "You just said she is a peace bringer of the universe, so why in the hell would it be trying to kill her?"

"Rose Tyler is unique…"

Jack interrupted them. "Yeah, you've said that a lot already, can you get to the point?"

"This universe does not understand or recognize her DNA. The universe must eliminate what it hasn't created. To the universe she is an infection."

"Okay, now I know you are all a bunch of con artists. Rose in not an infection, she is a human being and you lot are nothing but a bunch of mystic three handed posers!" Jack shouted, shaking his fist at them.

"Wolf, have you not felt this. Have you not had bruises that won't fade, headaches, simple wounds that require much effort to heal? You know that we only speak the truth, Rose. We can only speak the truth, even when it fills us with grief to do so."

Rose looked at them. She heard the truth in their voices. She saw the truth and pity in their faces. She stepped away from Jack and walked closer to them.

"So, I am going to die? The universe is going to kill me, yeah?"

"Truth, she speaks truth," they sang, their voices melancholy.

"Well," she said, "ain't that just a hell of a thank you for bringing peace."

Then, she started laughing. A great belly laugh, bending over, holding herself, leg weakening laughter.

Jack watched as she fell over herself laughing. Something wasn't quite right with it. The laughter was too much, too manic. He knelt next to her and turned her head towards him. Tears were running down her face, her lips were twisted into a bitter smile.

She patted the side of his face and stood up.

"How long do you think I have?" She asked the Three.

"We do not know the time, only that you will not see another spring in this universe."

Rose nodded her head. She crossed her arms over her chest, bowing low.

"I thank you for your truth, bitter as it is. I hope that you will continue to help spread peace, so that all will be as you have seen it."

"Truth, Rose Tyler speaks truth."

Rose nodded again. She squared her shoulder and walked out of the room, her head unbowed. Jack turned to follow her when the Three spoke to him. "She will make you her heir. She will give you the burden, and you will succeed for that is your future truth. For now you must help her prepare for her journey into death."

Jack looked at them, tears and fire in his eyes. "No, she isn't going to die damn it. She is going to live. Do you hear me? Rose Tyler is going to live. She is going to be my child's godmother, my wife's dearest friend, and my heart sister. She is going to live a long, damn happy life and none of your mumble jumble can change that."

"Half truth, the Heir speaks half truth."

Dr. Qu'lar approached Jack. "Please Jack, you must open your mind and your heart, you must or she will face this journey without a single human touch."

Jack glared at the Three, his will defiantly set against all their so called 'truths'. But the longer he stared at them, and they at him, he felt his will crumble. He fell to his knees.

"Why? Why Rose? You said yourselves that she has done so much. You know how much she has already suffered. Why does she have to die?"

"Great deeds require great sacrifice. Truth."

"She has sacrificed enough, hasn't she? She has lost so much in this universe and gained nothing but pain."

"Truth."

Jack looked at them helplessly. Here he was, a con man, someone who spent a good portion of his life stealing dreams from people. Yet he had a wife that loved him despite his past, a baby on the way with the promise of many more. Because of Rose, he now even had a position that gave him purpose. He didn't deserve any of it. And there was Rose, who deserved all the happiness in the world, yet had none. How was this truth?

"Is there nothing we can do to stop this?"

"No, Rose Tyler is dying. Truth."

"Stop saying that!" Jack yelled.

"Not speaking the truth does not make it a Not Truth."

"What can I do to help her?" Jack asked softly.

"Love her, give her hope, listen to her and when the time comes, let her go."

Jack stood, crossed his arms and bowed. "I thank you for the truth, bitter as it is, I will follow your words."

The Three rose and bowed to Jack. "Truth, you will make her proud. The Bad Wolf has chosen her heir well. Truth."

Jack walked out and looked around for Rose. He didn't see her. He pulled out his cell to call her when he saw a message from her.

_I am fine. Just went home. Need to be alone a bit. See you at the office on Monday._

_Love,_

_your little sister Rose _

Jack smiled down at his phone. He wanted to go after her, but he knew she wouldn't like it. Instead he would go home, lay in Gwen's arms and let her sooth his hurts.

The Three stood silent as they heard the Heir leave and then spoke to the empty room.

"We have spoken the Truth as it is now. It is up to Time and the Thief to make what is truth into not truth."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone,**

**Hope all of you had a great holiday and a very Happy New Year. I am very sorry about the lateness of getting these two chapters posted but end of the year is always a bit crazy at work and home. **

**First off I would like to thank my awesome beta reader, G. Goodwren, who took time out of her holiday and sick bed to proof read these chapters. Without her superb grammar skills and suggestions, these chapters would be nearly unreadable. **

**I hope that everyone enjoys the new chapters and I'll try to have chapter 12 up sometime by the end of the week. **

**Doctor Who doesn't belong to me and I really think it's very unfair of the BBC not to share, I mean they aren't even playing with Rose, Nine, Ten, and Eleven anymore. They should be kind to poor me and let me have them, their mummy didn't teach them any manners at all. I am now going to pout. **

Chapter Ten

Doctor

They were spinning in the golden vortex of time when they were suddenly, and without warning, tossed out. Ten managed to land himself ass up in the grass.

"Really need to work on the landing," Ten grumbled. He pushed himself to his feet.

Nine stood nearby with petty sneer on his face. After all, he had landed on his feet perfectly. "Pretty face, slow reflexes," he mocked.

"Oi, better then having those daft big ears," Ten snapped back.

"Better the ears than your stupidity."

Ten was quick to come back. "Yeah, well don't forget that you're me and I'm you. So you're just calling yourself stupid, which in itself is stupider."

_Ha, top that you big eared idiot_, Ten thought to himself.

Nine narrowed his eyes. He walked towards Ten, until he was so close their noses were nearly touching. "We may be the same person but something must have gone wrong during regeneration … because I would have never done this to Rose. Never".

Ten winced at these words. He knew that in his hearts that his former regeneration was right. In his old body he needed Rose so much that only at the threat of her death had he been able to let go of her hand.

"John? John where are you?" Rose called.

Both Doctors heads whipped around at the sweet sound of their girl.

She was leaning over a second story balcony of a TARDIS blue house. Her hair, now longer then it had been on the beach, flowed loosely down her back. The soft rays of the setting summer sun gave her skin a golden glow. Ten's breath hitched and his hearts stuttered in his chest when she looked down and gave him the patented Rose Tyler tongue in teeth smile. Next to him he heard his other self gasp. He didn't have to look to know that they were both wearing matching goofy grins.

"There you are," Rose said, smiling down at them. "You've tinkered enough, dinner is ready."

Joy exploded in his hearts. She could see him. She was smiling at him. He took a step towards her. "Rose..." Her name fell like a prayer from his lips.

A voice came from behind the Doctors. "I'll be right there love, just need to put some tools away."

Nine and Ten turned to look at the man that Rose had been really speaking to. He was standing directly behind them holding what looked like a sonic screwdriver.

"Alright, but if you take too long dinner will get cold, which of course means no banana pudding for dessert!" Rose teased with a wink before she turned and walked back into the house. John glared at the Doctors and jerked his head at the small shed behind him, indicating that they should follow him.

"She never made me banana pudding," Ten complained to Nine. He tried not to let his heartache and his jealousy show. Heartache over seeing his girl smiling _that_ smile at another man, hearing him calling her 'love'. Didn't matter a bit that the man in question was for all intents and purposes him, or that everything seemed to be working out the way he said he wanted it to.

Nine just rolled his eyes and followed the clone into the shed.

Inside the shed was an organized chaos of electronic equipment, tools, wires, and other odd bits that covered every inch of space. The only bare spots were the narrow pathways between the aisles.

The Doctor's eyes were automatically drawn to the bit of TARDIS coral. It was in a shallow glass container, hooked up to dozens of wire lines and equipment.

"Oi, you got to grow almost double in size in what …" Ten questioned, trying to figure out how much time had passed.

"It's been six months since you left her behind with me, nearly destroying her. Five months since she could sleep for more than an hour or two a night. Four and half months since been she's able to laugh again. And two weeks, three days, six hours since she said she loves me." John's words were short, cutting. His arms were folded across his chest, almost daring Ten to respond.

Ten looked at his metacrisis clone and decided he hated him. He knew that it was petty and as a Time Lord he should be above such juvenile feelings but he just couldn't help it. Hearing his sins laid bare by his own face was beyond annoying and to hear him say that Rose loved him … well, that was too much for his hearts to take. He was about to lay into him when Nine spoke.

"Thank you for taking care of her. She looks happy."

Ten wanted to murder Nine. Where had all his jealousy gone? Ten could clearly remember many times when he had been jealous of any male that even gave Rose a second glance when he had been in that body. Now he was suddenly all thankful? Stupid big eared git. He couldn't let Dumbo here be the only gentleman. He was, after all, the more charming one.

Clearing his throat he said, "Yes, quite right that. You've done your job well. Well done my man." With that, he tried to pat his clone on the shoulder but his hand passed though.

"Oops, keep forgetting about that not flesh thing," Ten joked.

John was not impressed, with either Time Lord. He wanted them gone.

"I told you before that you had done enough and I would take care of her now. So what are you doing here?"

"Well you see, Rose is - " Ten began but Nine interrupted him.

"We don't really know how or why we're here. We just are."

Ten spoke to Nine through their minds. _"What are you doing? We need to tell him about Rose so that he can help." _

_"No, think about what the TARDIS told us. This timeline must not be broken. Rose is alone in the future. That means that something will happen to him and we can't interfere. _

John's senses were tingling. Something was not right. They were lying. He knew it as sure as he knew they were speaking telepathically; he could feel the push between their minds.

"Okay, what is going on here? You two are hiding something that you don't want me to hear," he said.

Ten and Nine looked at him in surprise, "Could you hear us?" Nine asked.

"No" John said, clearly frustrated. "We may have the exact same DNA but our brains work differently. I can feel you when you talk to each other but I can't hear or join in. Don't have the same telepathic brain waves as you."

_And I hate it_, John thought to himself.

"Ah, did not know that," Ten mused, wondering why the clone fellow looked so put out by it. "You can still talk to the TARDIS seed, can't you?" He pointed at the bit of coral.

John's nose flared in anger (Ten decided never to do that again with his nose. For Rassilon's sake, you could see straight up his nostrils). "I said that we were different, not that I can't communicate with the TARDIS. I just can't merge with -"

"Oi! John!" Came a bellow worthy of a Tyler woman.

"Yes dear, coming," John yelled back. He turned back to the Doctors and lowered his voice. "You know, on second thought, I don't care why you're here. Just go away. She is happy, I am happy, we're happy, don't ruin it. Now, I'm going to dinner and you two are not invited." With that he turned and walked out, slamming the door of the shed behind him.

Of course the Doctors, being who they were, waited a moment and followed him.

They found John and Rose sitting at an old stripped down wooden table in the corner of a small kitchen. None of the chairs around the table matched each other, except they were all made of weathered wood. There were bright yellow flowers growing in a cracked blue bowl on the windowsill. Bright colored rag rugs were tossed about on the scuffed wood floor.

For Ten, it represented everything that he wanted Rose to have - a normal, safe life. He thought after they saved Rose, wouldn't she just want to leave him for something like this?

_"You really are stupid,"_ Nine snorted over their link.

_"Stay out of my mind,"_ Ten thought back. _"And I am not stupid, she has made a home here. I mean, look at it. It's domestic to the extreme."_

_"Perhaps you should put on your fake glasses and look again,"_ Nine said. _"Look and really see." _

Ten decided to humor his past self and looked around again. The kitchen was so domestic…a beam of setting sun landed on the blue bowl on the window and made it glow. It reminded him a lot of the one he had bought Rose at a bazaar on Mars, just because she said she liked it. He looked around again and could see now what Nine was going on about. If you looked at it from a certain angle, taking in the colors combinations, it was the TARDIS kitchen. His precious girl had made a TARDIS kitchen.

Nine stood there with a knowing grin on his face. He knew his girl. She loved the TARDIS, it was where she had felt the most at home, and when they saved her from this universe, he knew that she wouldn't want to leave it again.

John stared at the two Time Lords in his kitchen. They were doing it again, talking with their minds. The buzzing was driving him crazy. It was like listening to an out of tune radio.

Rose looked at John and wondered what was wrong with him. He was staring at nothing holding the fork halfway to his mouth.

"John, are you okay?"

"Huh?" John said, jumping slightly.

"I said are you okay. Is the chicken not good? I followed the recipe to the letter this time," Rose said in concern. Her attempts at cooking weren't always successful, but she had thought tonight's dinner turned out alright.

"Oh no, honey. It's great. Really," John said taking a large bite to prove his point. "It's great. Delicious!" He tried to talk around his mouthful, causing him to choke.

Rose got up and pounded his back as he coughed and sputtered. She couldn't help but giggle at him as he drank a little water and cleared his throat.

"You are a mess, you know that?" She said fondly, kissing his forehead and ruffling his hair before sitting back down.

"Well I live to amuse you, my dear," John teased. He took her hand and brushed his lips over it.

Ten really had had enough. He just couldn't stand there and watch him paw his girl. So he turned his back to gaze out of the window and tried to bring his jealousy under control.

When he left them in this universe, he had expected this to happen. To know that Rose was being loved the way that he thought he couldn't. He had wanted this, had spent long lonely years in the vortex comforting himself with the thought this was happening, that she was happy. Then why did seeing it with his own eyes tear out his hearts?

_"Because this_," Nine said, gesturing at the two at sharing a meal and laughing, _"Was all ours and we lost it. We lost it not because she didn't love us or wanted to leave. We lost it because of our own stupidity and fear."_

Ten looked at his old big eared self, thinking, _"Great, now you get smart. You couldn't be like this before. You know all this might not have happened if you had done some more dancing instead of being all broody."_

"I know," Nine said simply, looking at the girl that was the center of his world.

Rose got up and carried her plate to the sink. She brushed by Nine, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning close to her and breathing in her scent.

"She smells like apples" he said aloud to Ten.

Rose jerked back, the plate in her hand fell to the floor and broke. She stood frozen, staring blindly at the empty air next to her.

Nine looked into Rose's confused face. Was it possible?

John jumped up and put his arms around Rose and glared at the shocked Time Lords.

They wanted to test their theory but John's angry glare kept them silent for now.

"You didn't hurt yourself did you?" He asked.

"I'm…fine. Something just startled me." Rose said, hugging John back before kneeling down and picking up the broken bits of dish.

John bent down and helped her. "I could fix this as good as new if you like," he offered.

Rose laughed. "Like you fixed the dishwasher?"

"Hey what's wrong with the dishwasher? It works twice as fast and gets the dishes 100% clean."

"John, it melted the dishes into blobs!"

"Well, yes but they were clean, weren't they?" He said with his puppy dog eyes in full effect.

Rose laughed and leaned in to kiss him lightly. "Yes, you mad man. They, were perfectly clean blobs. But you don't need to fix this, we have plenty more."

She got up and tossed the broken bits into the trash. Walking to the fridge she pulled out the banana pudding that she had made him.

"Ready for dessert?" She asked.

"Yes, please, I'll have that, then I'll have you," he said with a wiggle of the eyebrows that Captain Jack Harkness would have been proud of.

Rose blushed and was about to reply when her cell went off. Mouthing 'hold on' to John, she answered the cell.

"Commander Tyler, go ahead."

Commander Tyler? When did their girl become a Commander?

"Ok, your ETA?" She said, looking at her watch. "Alright. See you in 10."

"Sorry John but got to go. There's a situation," she said as she left the kitchen to change.

"How serious?" John yelled after her.

"Mid-level," she yelled back.

John sat back down at the table and scooped out some pudding into his bowl.

"So you are just going to sit there while she wanders into danger?" Asked Nine, his eyes blazing.

"Made a promise to her that I wouldn't put myself in danger," John coolly replied as he savored a bite of his banana pudding. This was a dish that Rose had down to perfection.

"Why would you make such a stupid promise like that?" Nine asked, not understanding.

John lifted the side of his jumper to show them a nasty scar just two inches underneath his one heart.

"Just a few weeks after we got here, I decided that I wanted to be in the field with her. You know Mutt and Jeff, but forgot that I am not a Time Lord but a human. Nearly got both of us killed. In the hospital she made me promise that I wouldn't die on her. She said I was all that she had left to hold her to this life." He paused a moment, thinking about how devastated her face looked when he had come to. "After that I went to work in the lab for Pete."

"Then you should have told her to stop working in the field, too."

John snorted. "Yeah, right. We are talking about Rose Marion Tyler, right? Defender of the Earth, working safely in a lab."

Rose walked back into the kitchen, gone was the sundress wearing pretty girl - in her place stood a soldier.

Nine's mouth dropped opened. He was totally unprepared for the sight of Rose in her uniform.

Ten was a little more prepared as he had seen a version of this armed Rose, but even that person was soft compared to what she was now.

Where her sundress had been feminine and softened her, the tight black pants and sleeveless shirt highlighted the fact that Rose was a warrior. The uniform emphasized Rose's lean muscles and hard body.

"How's the pudding?" She asked as she secured bobby pins in her bun.

"Perfection as always," John said as he helped himself to another spoonful.

Rose looked at the tub of pudding, noticing he had already eaten nearly half. "John, you know that you get sick if you eat too much."

John pulled the bowl closer to himself as if to guard it from her. "Do not!"

Rose just sighed, put her belt on and tied her holster down around her thigh.

Ten groaned a bit as he watched her, everything on her was too tight; really this was too much visual stimulation.

Nine couldn't take his eyes off of Rose, he scanned every inch of her body with his intense stare, his face getting redder each moment.

John wasn't happy with the way they were eyeballing his woman, but he couldn't say anything with Rose standing there. The last thing he wanted was her to think he was crazy or worse yet know they were there. He shoved another spoonful of pudding into his mouth and glared darkly at them.

The sound of a SUV rumbling up the driveway caused everyone's head to turn.

There was a brisk knock on the front door and Rose yelled for them to come in.

A man of average height wearing a similar uniform as Rose came into the kitchen carrying a metal briefcase.

"Ma'am," he said as he saluted Rose. He handed her the case. Rose saluted him back and set the case on the table.

"Hello Thomas," John said to the dark haired man.

Thomas nodded at John then at the bowl John had unconsciously clutched closer to himself. "The Commander's banana pudding?"

"Yes, it is," John replied

"Great stuff, she makes it sometimes for the team."

Ten moaned, "Does she make it for everyone but me?"

Rose meanwhile had opened the case and withdrawn her weapon. In order to keep John happy, she didn't keep her weapons in the house. She double checked the weapon's power supply and put extra ammo in her belt. Putting her communicator into her ear she tapped the com link in her watch.

"Com check, one two."

"Team Bravo reading you loud and clear, Commander."

"Team Charlie, checking clear."

"Alright. Bravo, I'll need a complete grid of the area within a two mile radius. Charlie, we're going to need eyes in the sky, so make it happen. Our ETA is 20." Rose cut the link and looked over to where Thomas and John were talking.

"Thomas, let's go."

"Yes ma'am, I'll turn the car around. Good night sir."

John waved his hand and he stood up to give Rose a hug.

"You be careful," he whispered into her hair.

Rose laid a light kiss on his lips and winked at him. "Always," she whispered and started towards the front door.

"Rose?" John called out as she opened the door.

"Yeah?"

John smiled at her. "I love you."

Rose smiled her special Rose smile at him. "Love you too," and closed the door partway before backing up a few steps. "That doesn't mean you can eat that whole pudding. Save some for tomorrow."

John laughed. "Yes dear."

Rose waved again and shut the door.

John watched the Doctors walk toward the door Rose just left through. "Where are you two going now?" He asked.

"We're following Rose. You promised to stay behind, not us," Ten replied, and with that he was gone.

John was really not happy about this at all. He wandered back into the kitchen as the sound of the SUV roared down the driveway. He would just have another few bites of pudding and put the rest in the refrigerator….really just a few bites.

**Please review! Thank you!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Please review! Thank you!**

**Thank all of you that have taken the time to read my story. It makes me want to sing and dance but I will abstain because it scares my cat. **

**Please review and let me know what you think. **

**Thank you **

Chapter Eleven

In the back seat of the SUV, Nine and Ten were trying to wrap their minds around the change in Rose.

"Okay Thomas, give me all the information we have so far."

Thomas replied quickly, knowing that she was going to explode. "Scans show that it is a Jeonsa ship. They avoided all close space detection until they had already landed their ship."

"Are you telling me that they have broken treaty?"

"Director Tyler and the council have been trying to get in contact with the Jeonsa ruling party but no success as of yet. They would like us to treat them as an outlaw gang rather than a sanctioned force until they can talk to Prince D'aya."

Rose snorted. "Nothing happens on that planet without the say so of the Prince and his people. If they aren't behind this then I'm a Slitheen in a Rose suit. "

In the backseat, Nine laughed loudly at Rose's inside joke, causing her to stiffen in her seat. Her eyes searched the rearview mirror but all she saw was empty air.

She knew that she had heard him laugh just like she knew that she had heard him speak earlier in the kitchen. Was she going crazy? Mentally shaking her head she pushed it into another corner of her mind to examine later. She had enough on her plate with the latest emergency without worrying about her sanity.

The Doctors were overjoyed knowing that their girl could hear them but decided that now wasn't the time to experiment with how much she could hear or why she could. So they kept as silent as they could.

Rose shifted her focus back to Thomas who was still trying to figure out what a Slitheen was.

"I am sorry Commander but I don't know what or who a Slitheen is"

"Never mind, bad joke from another life. Do we have any more info?"

"Just the bare basics. They landed on the football pitch of Midland's Secondary School. Luckily there were no one on the field at the time of landing," Thomas said as he guided the SUV into a parking lot near the school.

The car was immediately surrounded by scores of journalists.

"Bullocks," Rose swore. "Damn press."

Thomas looked at Rose as he spoke to see what she wanted done. "I could try getting closer but I'm not sure I wouldn't run a few of them down."

"A few less bottom feeders isn't exactly bad thing," Rose mused, "but it would just cause bad press for Torchwood so I guess we'll just get out here."

She took a deep breath, opened the door and jumped out.

"Commander, how many hostages are there?"

"Commander Tyler, how many dead are there?"

"Tyler how do you answer your critics who say you are the reason that all these hostile aliens are attacking earth?"

"Are you going to negotiate or just blow them up?"

"Is it true you are shacked up with an alien?"

Rose rolled her eyes at the press's asinine questions and started forward.

They kept following her shouting questions but none of them tried to block her path. They knew better.

Rose reached the line of policemen blocking the press and rubberneckers from getting any closer. "Oi, who's in charge of you lot?"

"That would be me," a burly redheaded replied.

Rose checked his name tag. "Sergeant Jamerson, I need your men to push these people back. I want the press and the civilians back at least a mile."

There was a loud protest from the press behind her.

"Hey, you gonna let that little Torchwood lady tell you what to do?" Someone in the crowd yelled.

The crowd started to heckle him. Sgt. Jamerson went red in the face.

He puffed out his chest and was about to say lay into Rose but as he looked into her eyes, he was chilled to the bone by the promise of hell that he saw in them.

"All right men you heard her, move 'em back," he yelled and joined his men pushing the press back.

Rose ducked between the policemen and headed towards where her team was waiting for her.

"Alright Mark Anthony, report."

"Eye witness reports and our scans are showing 15 aliens inside the gym."

"Hostages?" Rose asked

"Scans show thirty-seven, thirteen adult humans and twenty-four children, there seems to have been a friendly soccer match earlier this evening. They were gathered in the gym for a party," Mark Anthony said.

"Okay. Any word from the Jeonsa?"

"Nothing other than warning us to stay away or else."

Rose looked at Jo, the leader of her sniper team. "Have you got a shot?"

"The gym is the tallest building for about four blocks. The window's built too high so no, no clear shot. All doors are being covered and so is the roof."

Rose stared at the gym. It was a built like a large square box. The windows were placed high in order to keep kids and vandals from easily breaking them.

She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Suggestions?"

"If I could get those guys off the roof, there's a large skylight there according to the blue prints. Me and the guys could pick them off quickly without injury to the hostages. Problem is, we can't access the roof without being seen," Jo said.

Rose nodded. "Okay, first let's see what they're here for. I doubt they traveled across the galaxy for a football match."

She walked forward until she was standing only a few hundred yards away from the gym.

Touching a button on her watch she spoke, her voice echoing across the empty yard.

"This is Commander Rose Tyler of Torchwood. You are here in violation of the Treaty of Leons, signed in good faith by your Prince and our Leaders. You will release the hostages, lay your weapons down and surrender yourself to justice."

There was an eerie silence, shortly followed by harsh laughter.

"Justice. You dare speak of Justice? You, Rose Tyler, the Butcher of Gunin?" The disembodied voice roared.

Rose rolled her eyes, unimpressed by her nickname. She had been called worse. "You seem to know me, but I do not know you. Identify yourself."

"Who am I? I am Terror, I am Revenge, I am JUSTICE." The last word was roared so loudly that the glass windows of the gym shook.

Rose could hear the terrorized screams of the children inside and anger that she had been trying to suppress started to rise to the surface.

"Interesting names, but I wager that none of them are yours. Perhaps you are too afraid to reveal yourself to me." Rose taunted. "Right now, all you have done is manage to scare children."

Her taunting worked. Another angry roar was heard before the double doors of the gym was ripped opened. Then the monster stepped out.

Rose had spent two earth weeks in a penal colony on the Jeonsa home world while on trial for murder, which made her familiar with Jeonsa warriors. Rose always thought that Jeonsa males looked like steroid abusing human muscle men who had relations with female Trolls.

This one was nearly seven feet tall, with light green skin and sharpened pointed teeth set in a wide lipless, mouth. He had nearly no neck, making it look as if his large, dome shaped head was just welded to his torso. His muscular arms were long, knuckles nearly dragging the ground, and his legs massive.

Rose stood and watched as the alien warrior beat his chest and roar, spittle flying.

"Oi you, if you're done with all chest beating you can give me a name," Rose asked, her tone clearly indicating she was bored by his display of maleness.

"I am Moja Babaya, son of Captain Jchet, of the science starship Gunin. Who, along with his crew, you murdered!" He yelled, slapping himself across the chest. "I have come for justice, I will drink the blood of my enemy this night."

_You blow one ship suddenly everyone wants to drink your blood_, Rose thought to herself.

The Doctors were startled to hear that thought cross Rose's mind. They had assumed that the alien was mistaken about Rose, but she had admitted it. What happened?

Rose sighed. "I was cleared of any wrong doing not only by the Intergalactic Court, but also by your own planet's court of justice. Your father was trying to steal the core of this planet, which would have caused it to collapse upon itself, killing every living thing on earth."

"Lies! Your people bribed our court, made us sign a treaty that threatens our honor and way of life!" He bellowed.

"This is getting us nowhere," Rose said. "What is it that you want to let the hostages go?"

"My people demand blood. Your blood," he sneered. "Are the lives of the young worth yours?"

From inside the gym there came more terrified screams of the children.

"Come to me unarmed and I will take my justice upon you. You have put too much importance on yourself, you, who try to weaken worlds with your peace. I will kill you in front of all the worlds and prove you, Rose Tyler, are nothing!" He screamed his war cry and his men picked it up.

Rose started laughing. Moja Babaya heard her laughter and was so startled by it that he choked on his own war cry.

She abruptly stopped laughing and her mouth hardened. "Nothing. Funny that you call me nothing yet you fly halfway across the galaxy and take a group of children hostage all to get my attention. Seems a lot of work for someone you consider 'nothing'."

He opened his mouth to reply but she held up her hand.

"You have had your turn, now listen to me. I am well versed in the ways of your people and I have a proposal for you. Your customs demand blood for your perceived slight. So I will give it to you in the manner of your people. I will defend my honor on the battle field against you or your champion in hand to hand combat."

"You. A female, against me?" He said unbelievingly.

"Yes, me."

"To the death?"

"Of course. Or until you surrender, I'm not a butcher."

Moja Babaya examined her. She showed no fear, only boredom. Doubt began to form in his mind. The rumors of her time spent in the Chungcha were legendary. Prisoners had tried to kill her only to be defeated or become her protectors. Her name was whispered in reverence by many of his people who were tired of the constant wars of his home world. Could he defeat her?

No, he thought to himself, she was nothing. She was small even for a human. There was no way she could beat him in hand to hand combat. He alone of all Jeonsa warriors was undefeated, he would kill this creature and bring honor back to his family's name. He would end this curse of peace that she was trying to spread across the universe.

"TO THE DEATH!" He roared.

Rose sighed deeply. "As you wish."

He nodded. "Make yourself ready. No weapons, Butcher."

Rose rolled her eyes and turned her back on him. She walked over to her team.

Thomas speechlessly gawked at his commander. "You can't be seriously thinking about this?"

"We need a distraction and this is it," she said. She turned to Jo. "They will all be distracted once the fighting starts. Violence is bred into them they won't be able to help themselves. Do what needs to be done. I'll buy you as much time as I can."

Jo nodded and slowly her and her team melted into the crowd. They knew they had to be silent and quick and take over the gym before that Troll managed to kill her.

In the parking lot between the gym and where the Torchwood teams were standing the Joensa warriors were clearing cars by picking them up and tossing them to the side like cabers, making a rough ring for the fight.

Rose took her gun belt off and handed it to Thomas. "Hold these for me," she said. She turned to walk back towards the battlefield, pausing for a moment and turning her head slightly. "Thomas, if anything happens to me make sure you look after John. He will need someone to keep him from following me. Do you understand?"

Thomas swallowed hard. "Yes ma'am, please be careful."

Rose smiled and winked. "Always." With that she turned back to walk towards pain.

The Doctors were torn between pride and fear. They knew that Rose would survive this battle, they were just not sure how much she would have to suffer for the victory.

They walked behind her, wanting to tell her how amazing she was but knew that now wasn't the time.

Her mind raced trying to figure out how long she needed to drag this out before her team could take the gym – twenty, thirty minutes? She could feel terror start to take over her mind and her hands started to shake as she looked at her mountainous opponent. She clinched her fists tightly to control them, pushing down her fear by thinking of the children. She would do this. Live or die, she would save those children.

Rose stepped to the center of the makeshift ring. Moja Babaya approached her, his chest bare and covered with scars from his many victories. As he came nearer, his pungent musk reached her nose. Rose wished for a stiff breeze as she blinked away the water in her eyes. She had spent those two earth weeks with cloth plugged up her nostrils to avoid the strong smells that Jeonsa's gave off.

He gave a great roar and beat his fist on his chest. Rose waited politely. She knew this was all part of the Jeonsa's battle ritual.

"_Doctor, I'm scared," _Rose whispered in her mind. She gritted her teeth against the second wave of fear as she watched his display of strength.

Nine and Ten heard and felt her terror. Nine stood next to her and spoke softly in her ear. "_You will be fantastic, Rose Tyler. I only pick the best, remember?"_

Rose didn't care if her mind was playing tricks on her. That voice was the sweetest sound and it filled her with courage. Despite her fear, it made her grin.

Moja Babaya paused his posturing and felt fear again. How could she be smiling? She was facing death and she smiled.

Trying to shake off the fear he roared again. "TONIGHT I DRINK YOUR BLOOD!"

Rose raised one eyebrow. "Bit barbaric don't you think?"

He glared at her cockiness and said, "You will know fear and agony before this night is done, Rose Tyler."

She said nothing but the smirk on her face enraged him. He motioned to one of the warriors, holding a gong. The warrior struck it, the heavy _bong_ signaling the beginning of the fight.

Moja Babaya swept one of his long arms out trying to grab Rose. She was fast though, and had already ducked away so he caught nothing but air.

"Missed me there," she taunted him. Where he had physical strength, she had her words and that enraged him. Her jab worked, causing him to roar as he charged her.

She waited until he was nearly upon her before jumping sideways. He crashed into one of the cars that formed one of the edges of the ring.

As he stood there, dazed from his head first dive into steel, Rose slipped in behind him and attacked the back of his legs. Jeonsa warriors had a few weaknesses and Rose knew them all. They carried a lot of bulk in their upper bodies, which caused weak knees. She viciously aimed a series of hard kicks and danced out of the way as he crashed to the ground.

A loud groan rose up from his warriors as their leader fell. Rose stole a quick look towards the gym and she saw that the guards were already distracted and starting to drift away from the sky light and gather on the edge to watch.

_"Rose, watch out."_

Moja Babaya tried to take advantage of her inattention and tried to grab her again but she rolled out of the way.

She knew that she had to stay out of his hands. He could crush her back easily if he caught her.

"You are a coward, stand and fight!" He yelled, frustration taking hold. She was too quick and her kicks had weakened his left leg causing him to move even slower.

Rose laughed. "Now now, don't whine, isn't very sportsman like."

He lunged at her again but Rose ducked and dived between his legs, kicking him as hard as she could between them. Luckily for her, his genitals were in the same place as a human male.

He let out a loud screech of pain that was very similar in sound as some of the boys she had done that to back when she lived in the Estates.

He came to his feet, rage like he had never felt before beating in his blood. He could hear the snickers of his men who were watching. Her trying to unman him this way would not stand. He screamed his rage at her, spoke of dark things he would do to her body; how he would strip her, bleed her dry and hang her naked corpse on his wall.

Rose did not flinch at the foulness that came out of his mouth. She didn't care. She needed to buy time and every minute was precious. He ran at her again and she tried to move out the way but her foot twisted in a hole. The edge of his arm caught her and she went flying. She landed hard on the hood of a car about four feet away. The breath was knocked out of her. Before she was able to move, he was upon her. He grabbed her up in both of his hands and lifted her up to his face.

"Try to dance away now, filth," he snarled, spittle landing on her face as he laughed. His hands constricted around her, squeezing her tighter and tighter.

Rose struggled to breathe as black spots formed in her eyes.

_Is this the end?_,she thought. She could feel her body going limp but continued to fight against the darkness.

_"Rose no! Fight! You can do it!" _The Northern accented voice shouted though her mind. Hearing it gave her strength and she pushed harder, concentrating hard on staying awake.

Moja Babaya laughed. Victory was his. His grip on Rose slackened slightly as he felt her body go completely slack.

Rose wasn't done, though. She moved quickly and jammed her fingers into his eye as hard as she could, curling her hand into a claw to rip out his eyeball.

He screamed in pain and tossed her away from him. Rose landed hard but she jumped up quickly, holding his eye in her hand.

Moja Babaya was in agony, cradling his bulbous palm over the hollow and bloody eye socket.

"Hey there, I seem to have something of yours. Would you like it back? I'm sure you could just pop it back in, right?" She asked, waving the orb at him.

She looked back at gym roof. Instead of the guards, she saw Jo, who gave the 'all clear' signal. Rose sighed in relief. The children were safe.

"Let's finish this," Rose muttered and tossed the eye over her shoulder. She charged at the giant.

Wiping the blood out of his good eye, Moja Babaya, was surprised to see her running towards him. _Foolish _human, he thought. Even wounded she was no match for him. He would make her suffer as none had suffered before. He reached for her but at the last moment, Rose jumped left using the SUV parked there as leverage to flip herself on his back. Wrapping her legs around his head, she squeezed them together all the while plunging her hand back into the empty socket.

He reached up to pull her off of his neck but she was latched on tight. No matter how hard he pulled and tore at her legs she would not let go. Her hand in his ruined eye was like fire in his head and she was slowly cutting off his air. He kept trying to get her off, ramming his back against a car, but all she did was tighten her grip and dig harder into his socket.

He was dying. He, the greatest warrior of his race, was dying, defeated by a human female. The shame and pain brought him to his knees. As darkness came to him, he could hear her. "Yield and live."

_Yield? Never_, he thought but fear overcame him. He was not ready for death, not at the hands of this creature.

Rose shouted again. "Yield, you great idiot, I have no wish to kill you."

She heard a something and she loosened her grip slightly. "Speak. Do you yield?"

"Y-Yesss," came his reply.

"You must speak it clearly for all to hear," Rose said.

Moja Babaya drew in a deep breath and cried, "I yield to you!"

Rose turned her head to look at his men. "You heard him. He yields. My honor is restored to me."

The warriors bowed low to her. The one who carried the gong spoke next. "You are the victor here. Your honor is pure. You are truly a warrior of greatness." Then they all laid down their weapons and kneeled.

Rose released her hold on Moja Babaya and stood. Her whole body ached and she was covered with his blood. She started to walk away but his laughter made her stop and look back at him.

"You think you won but you just lost. I gave the order for my men to kill everyone, all the young ones if you somehow won. Their blood will be on your hands."

"No, your men are captured, the hostages are safe. Win or lose, I knew that the children would safe. This whole thing was a distraction. Now you and your people will face the court and I do not think that you will like the outcome." With that she turned and walked away from him.

Thomas came running forward, her things still clutched in his hands. Relief and happiness played across his face. Just as he reached her, his eyes widened in horror. In an instant, Rose snatched the gun from her belt and turned, firing just as the knife hit her in the chest.

Moja Babaya last thought as the gun blast pierced his chest was that at least he was taking her into hell with him.

Pandemonium broke loose as Rose fell to the ground. The Doctors stood in shock as their girl lay dead at their feet. They had failed her. Again.

Rose suddenly gasped and nearly screamed in fright at all the face staring down at her.

"Oi you lot, back up. What you looking at?"

"We thought you died. The knife it hit you right in the chest but you're not bleeding," Thomas said. He knelt down and touched her side where he had seen the knife hit her.

Rose hissed in pain and slapped his hand away. "Just cause it's not bleeding, doesn't mean it doesn't bloody well hurt."

"How is this possible?" He asked. "You should be severely wounded … or dead."

"John's been working on some new fabric, a light weight body armor for us. This," she said, lifting her uniform shirt to display the thin layer of gray material that was molded to her skin, "is a prototype. John will be very pleased with the results."

"Pardon my forwardness ma'am but I think he will be more pleased that you're alive. Like we are."

Rose looked up at her team that had gathered around her. They all wore smiles of relief and awe. She cleared her throat, a little overcome by their regard. Thomas took pity on her and offered her a hand to help her to her feet.

Jo approached with the report. "All hostage accounted for, minor scrapes and bruises but no serious injuries. Other than a few nightmares they should all recover soon."

"And the guards?" Rose asked.

"We managed to surprise them, so no deaths other than the leader." She said, pointing to dead, eyeless body.

Rose sighed. She had not wanted to kill him but he left her no choice.

"Ma'am, Prince D'aya is on the video com link," Mark Anthony said, handing her a com tablet.

Rose sneered as she took it. "Amazing how he comes though right when everything is done."

"Prince D'aya, how nice of you to answer our call," Rose said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Ah yes, Commander Tyler. Bit of a sun storm here, communications were temporarily knocked out," the prince replied. A polite smile was fixed upon his face.

"Bloody convenient that."

The prince continued as if she hadn't spoken at all. "Your father has informed us that one of our ships has landed on your planet. As we assured your people, we have nothing to do with this. We honor the treaty we signed. Those that landed on Earth are outlaws and you may do with them as you please."

Rose looked over at the prisoners. Their betrayed expressions confirmed what she suspected; their Prince was sacrificing them to cover his own ass.

"My dear Prince I believe you have forgotten to whom you are speaking. I was a 'guest' of your planet and I learned quite a bit about you, and your family. Moja Babaya is your cousin. He is part of the royal family and it is a well-known fact that no one of royalty would so much as sneeze without your approval."

The prince sputtered in denial but Rose cut him off, her eyes flashing. "Spare me your lies, Your Highness. It's been a long night and my team is tired. _I'm_ tired so let me tell you what's going to happen. You are going to follow, to the letter, each and every point in the treaty that you signed along with any penalties that the Intergalactic Court gives you for this stunt tonight. If you so much as think about coming anywhere near Earth again, so help me I will make you pay." With that, she tossed the com tablet to Mark Anthony.

"And who do you think you are to threaten me and order me around, human? I am a Prince, you are nothing." She could hear the pitch in his voice raise with self-righteousness.

She raised her chin slightly in pride. "I am Commander Rose Tyler of Torchwood, Defender of the Earth and I always keep my promises," she said. "You should bloody well remember that. Commander out."

Mark Anthony cut the link on the tablet and looked at his commander in awe. _She was so cool_, he thought, a huge grin on his face.

"Alright, let's get this mess cleaned up and go home," Rose said. "You all can come in around noon tomorrow." She paused as cheers went up. "But, I'll need your first action reports on my desk before close of business." The cheers turned into groans.

The Doctors stood to the side and watched Rose. They were so impressed at how she had adapted and grown, even though they could feel her inner turmoil at having to take a life. She showed none of her pain as she directed and praised her team. Their pink and yellow girl was truly magnificent.


End file.
